Lee Zii Jia Sentenced To BAM Two Years, Won't Be Enrolled In BWF Official Tournament

Lee Zii Jia (INSTAGRAM @leeziijia)

JAKARTA - Malaysian men's singles badminton player Lee Zii Jia must accept the consequences for his decision to leave the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).

The decision resulted in him serving a two-year suspension from all official BWF tournaments. BAM handed down the sentence on Friday, January 21, 2022.

In a statement, BAM said that they had decided not to register Lee Zii Jia for the international tournament under the Malaysian flag.

"BAM has reached a decision not to register him for any tournaments from 18 January 2022," said BAM vice president Jaharbedeen Mohd Yunoos.

BAM received a letter of resignation from Lee Zii Jia on Tuesday, January 11. A series of meetings they held after that before handing down the punishment for Lee Zii today.

According to the player registration rules in the BWF Statutes, Lee Zii Jia can change associations for tournaments other than Thomas Cup etc., after 12 months carrying the flag of his new association.

Women's singles athlete Goh Jin Wei, who recently became a professional player, also received a BAM penalty. He will serve the same sentence period as Zii Jia.

However, Jin Wei's sentence took effect on October 31. Goh Jin Wei, a former Malaysian women's singles player, recently joined the KLRC professional club.

Lee Zii Jia's career began to climb in the past two years. After winning a silver medal at the Asian Team Championships, Zii Jia won the 2021 All England. His career continued by becoming runner-up at the Hylo Open 2021.

Lee Zii is predicted to be the successor to the legend Lee Chong Wei. He is even predicted to be able to pass the achievements that have been inscribed by his predecessor.