KUALA LUMPUR: national team“>Malaysian badminton star Lee Zii Jia has appealed a two-year ban imposed on him for quitting the national team, officials said on Monday (Jan 24), after the move sparked widespread anger.
The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) confirmed that Lee sent them a letter appealing last week’s ban, handed down after the world number seven decided to leave the body and become independent.
“We are fully aware of the anger and frustration, and truly understand the disappointment expressed towards the association,” he said in a statement.
BAM added that it was “investigating the matter with great urgency” to find an “amicable” resolution.
The group faced an avalanche of complaints following the decision to ban the 23-year-old Lee from all games sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation, meaning it could prevent him from competing at all.
He said he tried to persuade him to keep the body but was unable to agree to his demands, which included having his own team of coaches and support staff.
The move was heavily criticized by local and foreign athletes alike, who threw their support behind the rising star of the Southeast Asian nation.
“Just listen to how crazy this is. This is the year 2022. Is this what we want for our sport? world number one Viktor Axelsen said in a Facebook post on Friday.
Lee did not openly criticize the ban, but that night he changed his social media profile pictures to ones with a black background.
Badminton is one of the few sports that Malaysia does well internationally, and Lee was often seen as the country’s successor to legend Lee Chong Wei.
The midfielder scored a win at the All England Open last year, though he performed poorly at the Olympics, falling to Chinese player Chen Long in a round of 16 match.
