Zii Jia’s unprecedented move sets the stage for a change

THE last few days in the national badminton set-up have seen some deft moves, clever strokes, disguised returns and one killer smash – and it’s all been happening off court.After numerous dodges and denials of speculation, it was finally revealed on Wednesday that All-England champion Lee Zii Jia had resigned.

Zii Jia had in fact submitted his letter on Jan 11 but the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) had kept it under wraps while they worked behind the scenes to convince their No. 1 men’s singles player to stay on.