KUALA LUMPUR, April 2 — The country’s professional men’s singles player Lee Zii Jia is not confirmed to feature in the 2024 Thomas Cup, says Academy of Badminton Malaysia (ABM) coaching director Rexy Mainaky.
This comes after a meeting with Team LZJ manager Lee Zii Yii and coach Wong Tat Meng at the academy today, where the team said it was drawing up the best possible plan for the 2021 All-England champion to face the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, which begins on July 26.
It is understood that Lee had a packed schedule before the Games, starting with the Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) in Ningbo, China, on April 9, followed by Malaysia Masters (from May 21 to May 26), Singapore Open (from May 28 to June 2), Indonesia Open (from June 4 to June 9) and the Australian Open (from June 11 to June 16).
“…so if (he participates in all the tournaments) along with the Thomas Cup, it could be an overload. So there are some suggestions from (Team LZJ) but I cannot reveal anything at the moment. I will discuss with the management first what their plans are for Zii Jia in the Thomas Cup.
“So we understand that they (Team LZJ) have a plan to make both sides happy (with the decision taken). I understand they are looking for Zii Jia, who is currently 10th in the world ranking, to rise to 8th. Later, we will hold a meeting again with Team LZJ,” he said.
Rexy added that everything is still in the discussion stage, with the deadline for sending names for the 2024 Thomas Cup on April 13, so he is still waiting for the next meeting with Team LZJ.
When asked what plan would be drawn up if Lee’s services were not used in the biennial tournament, he said a decision would only be made once the discussions were concluded.
Lee has unofficially confirmed a ticket to Paris by ranking in the world’s top 16, with the qualification period set to close on April 28.
The 2024 Thomas Cup will take place in Chengdu, China from April 27 to May 5.
— Bernama
