KUALA LUMPUR – The president of the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria, hopes to see independent shuttler Lee Zii Jia comply with the rules set by the Road to Gold (RTG) committee.
Norza urges the world’s 11th-ranked shuttler to promptly sign the letter of commitment (LoC) to demonstrate his commitment to the RTG program.
“Zii Jia has recently been occupied, and I completely understand his situation.
“However, I firmly believe that he should take the time to sign the commitment letter, as it’s a mandatory requirement for athletes in the RTG program.
“I have been informed that he’s currently in Malaysia, and based on what I have heard from other media reports, I believe he will sign the commitment letter before the given deadline.
“I only hope that the sooner he signs the letter, the more benefits he can receive under the RTG program.
“Therefore, I don’t think there’s a need for us to speculate about his future in the RTG program,” Norza said during the launch of the Road to NCT Junior Badminton Championship today.
On Tuesday, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said Zii Jia remains the only athlete in the ongoing RTG program who has yet to sign the letter of commitment, a mandatory requirement set by the RTG committee.
Hannah further explained that despite Zii Jia not being ranked in the top 10 to be part of RTG, the decision to include the 25-year-old Kedahan was based on the progress he has shown in the past four months, from June to October.
Meanwhile, RTG coordinator Datuk Stuart Ramalingam said the independent shuttler has received sports science services twice under the program, despite not signing the LoC.
However, the stipulated additional funds and allowances will not be provided until Zii Jia signs the agreement.
RTG is an elite athlete preparation program intended to provide cream-of-the-crop athletes with the additional support they need to challenge for gold at the next two Olympics – in Paris next year and the 2028 Los Angeles Games – and other major international competitions.
In addition to sports science support, competition exposure, and coaching, athletes under RTG also receive an additional allowance of RM3,000 a month.
Zii Jia recently clinched his sixth World Tour victory by winning the Arctic Open. He also finished as the runner-up in the Denmark Open from October 22 to November 2, 2023. – November 2, 2023