Up to Zii Jia whether to train with national squad, says BAM
Tengku Zafrul Aziz said BAM had already decided to allow all independent players to hold joint training sessions at Akademi Badminton Malaysia.
Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Tengku Zafrul Aziz revealed they have yet to hear from Lee Zii Jia on his interest in resuming training with the national team. BAM does not intend to hold a special meeting for this purpose and has not received any feedback from Zii Jia’s camp regarding Lee Chong Wei's suggestion for Zii Jia to utilize BAM's training facilities, according to Tengku Zafrul.
The association aims to concentrate on the existing singles players and juniors, he said at a media conference after chairing the BAM council meeting. All independent players are free to participate in joint training sessions at Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in the national interest, without needing to rejoin BAM. Lee Chong Wei trained at ABM twice weekly during the Thomas Cup, but BAM cannot compel any professional player to train with the national squad due to their independent status.
Zii Jia, ranked world No 58, was eliminated in the first round of the 2026 Vietnam Open after losing 8-21, 21-13, 14-21 to Taiwan’s Wu Zhe Ying. Chong Wei suggested Zii Jia could regain his form through a more structured training programme, enhanced sparring sessions, and a robust support system at ABM.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 1 other outlet
- Up to Zii Jia whether to train with national squad, says BAM freemalaysiatoday.com
