Famed and much-loved badminton player Datuk Lee Chong Wei (李宗偉) is not one to lose his temper easily. But, it seems independent national shuttler Lee Zii Jia (李梓嘉) and his coach, Wong Tat Meng’s recent antics have been the last straw.
On 16th August, Wong Tat Meng took to his socials to express his frustration at BAM (Badminton Association of Malaysia) regarding their new rules for training and Lee Zii Jia also dropped in to mockingly comment on the issue. Well, all that has apparently led to a verbal reprimand from Lee Chong Wei himself!
After Wong Tat Meng and Lee Zii Jia revealed they would be working together to improve Zii Jia’s performance, many have been looking forward to seeing Zii Jia on the court again. Unfortunately, things went awry when Tat Meng made a post on Instagram, slamming BAM for their new rule for independent shuttlers training with the national team.
“Before the World Championships, BAM informed us that they were mandating professional players not wear brands aside from BAM’s sponsor if they wanted to train on Wednesday,” Tat Meng explained. He added that the rule had surprised him as Zii Jia had been training with the team without problems since December. Tat Meng also claimed that previously, they had an understanding with BAM over their sponsorship conflict as BAM is sponsored by Yonex while Zii Jia is sponsored by Victor.
But, with the latest regulation being implemented right before the World Championships, the coach alleged they now feel “bullied” by the organisation. Zii Jia himself left a comment on the post, saying: “Don’t say I’m ‘big-headed’ (because) I’m not attending training. It’s difficult to be Lee Zii Jia, everything (I) do is wrong, (it’s giving me) a headache.”
Well, shortly after Zii Jia and Tat Meng’s issue went viral, Datuk Lee Chong Wei spoke up to give his thoughts on the matter. “Why is it always about him (Lee Zii Jia)? And his coach (Tat Meng) who just started (is) already stirring up controversy,” the former shuttler reportedly stated. “In this case, you have to respect the national body. If you feel it is a problem and you can’t meet the requirements, don’t come.”
As a Road to Gold (RTG) programme committee member and team manager for the Paris 2024 Malaysian badminton team, Chong Wei has a personal stake in the issue, especially since Chong Wei had apparently been the one to propose BAM allow professional players to train with the national team at Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) once a week.
“BAM has made it clear that the independent players can don plain apparel,” he reportedly said. “The players just can’t wear apparel with sports equipment sponsors’ logos other than Yonex.” He also pointed out that other professional players like men’s doubles players Ong Yew Sin, Teo Ee Yi, and women’s singles shuttler Goh Jin Wei have not made any complaints.
Chong Wei previously made it clear that he wasn’t very convinced by Zii Jia’s decision to leave BAM to be an independent player but this is the first time he has openly reprimanded his junior. “Zii Jia needs to think of BAM and the other players too,” he added. “He can’t always be selfish and think about himself. I have never spoken out about any of his issues in the past but this time it’s one time too many.”
Still, Datuk Lee Chong Wei believes Lee Zii Jia is Malaysia’s best bet to win gold in the Paris Olympics. “But he needs to cooperate with BAM and others if he wants to succeed,” Chong Wei stated. So far, neither Zii Jia nor his coach has responded, but like Datuk Lee Chong Wei, we hope Zii Jia will be more mature about the issue.
Sources: Instagram, Tan Tan News, The Star, New Straits Times
