Unfortunately for Malaysia’s national player Lee Zii Jia (李梓嘉), he’s recently been embroiled in a never-ending chain of controversies. His latest one however seems to have been the last straw for many.
Yesterday (28th September), Lee Zii Jia’s abrupt leaving during an after-match interview was framed as a controversy which confused many and angered some. Team LZJ in particular, who are officially affiliated with the shuttler, made a post today (29th September) to call the Malaysian media out.
“Team LZJ, including Lee Zii Jia, has always (respected) the nation’s media as (it is) an important entity that has helped shape Lee Zii Jia as a person and his career as an athlete,” they began via their Instagram post. They added that they have always tried to accommodate Malaysian media and denied shying away from accepting perspective on performances.
But, they felt that the latest ‘controversy’ claimed by the media was a step too far. “It is with (much) disappointment that Team LZJ feels the need to address reports made by certain Malaysian media claiming Team LZJ and Lee Zii Jia himself created controversy by cutting short post match interviews after his match for Team Malaysia in Hangzhou on Thursday the 28th of September 2023,” they declared.
“Team LZJ would never do something of the sort and what happened at the mix zone was under the purview of the Asian Games organisers,” they stated, adding: “At this point in time, (we) feel that we have tolerated enough unnecessary character assassination when it comes to reports concerning Lee Zii Jia.” Team LZJ proceeded to thank staunch supporters of Zii Jia while apologsing for letting fans down.
Apparently, shortly after his defeat by Jeon Hyeok Jin in the Hangzhou Asian Games, Lee Zii Jia had been doing the usual customary after-match interview when it was abruptly cut short. According to the video uploaded, it showed Zii Jia being asked a question by a certain media when they were interrupted by an official who gave the time-out hand sign before ushering the shuttler away.
While most would have viewed it as a minor incident, the matter gained traction after it was reported. Some allegedly felt Zii Jia’s actions during the video showed his immaturity, while others claimed he had merely been following the staff’s orders. “Lol this media. You literally created (the) controversy. Obviously the staff (stepped in) isn’t (it)? (Shame) on you guys,” one said.
Well, it seems this issue in particular has hit a little too close to home for Zii Jia and his team, given the short duration from his last controversy with BAM over their training attire. All we can say is that its certainly seems difficult to perform while having the eyes of the world fixed on your every move.
