Malaysian badminton ace Lee Zii Jia, ranked seventh in the world, was banned from tournaments for two years on Friday as punishment for leaving his national team to become a freelancer.
Lee has been seen as the heir to Malaysian legend Lee Chong Wei, quickly climbing the rankings and winning a decisive victory at the prestigious All England Open last year.
After some poor performances in recent months, including at the Olympics, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) revealed this week that he had left the corps and wanted to play as a freelancer.
But the association refused to back the move, deciding instead to punish him with a two-year ban from all tournaments sanctioned by world governing body, the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The BWF sanctions the vast majority of tournaments on the badminton calendar, and each country’s association is responsible for registering its players, meaning the Malaysian body can effectively bar Lee from competing.
BAM said the 23-year-old cited “the pressure of being in the national team” and the “regimented lifestyle” at Malaysia’s badminton academy as reasons for quitting.
The body sought to persuade him to stay during the talks, but ultimately decided it could not agree to his demands, which included having his own team of coaches and support staff.
“Obviously, we are extremely saddened” by Lee’s decision, BAM Vice President Jahaberdeen Mohamed Yunoos told reporters, adding that it could affect the body’s training programs and finances.
But he added the player could appeal to return.
Lee, previously considered one of Malaysia’s best hopes of winning the country’s first-ever Olympic gold medal, has yet to comment publicly since news broke that he was cutting ties with BAM.
Earlier this week, world number one Viktor Axelsen of Denmark voiced his support for Lee’s decision to go freelance, tweeting that “it’s his career and his life after all”.
The BWF has not commented specifically on Lee’s case.
But in a statement on Thursday, its general secretary, Thomas Lund, noted that there was a precedent where independent players and a country’s member association reached an agreement whereby the association submitted tournament entries for the players.
Badminton is one of the few sports in which Malaysia performs well internationally.
Three-time Olympic silver medalist Lee Chong Wei, who retired in 2019, was one of the greatest players of his generation.
Read all the latest news, breaking news and updates on coronavirus here.
