LETTER | Time for BAM to reinvent itself

LETTER | I don’t think many realised how extraordinary the rise of national shuttler Lee Zii Jia was. In early 2019, right before Lee Chong Wei announced his retirement, young Zii Jia was just ranked at number 28. By March 2021, he leapt to the 10th position before he won his maiden All England title at just 22 years old. 

While we assume it took him two years, it was in fact just one, as tournaments in 2020 were cancelled due to the coronavirus.

It is not an easy feat to become a top-10 ranked player, much less, rise 18 rungs to do so in a year. It showed the player's strength and the support he had. It looked like Malaysia had another Chong Wei in waiting as soon as he retired. 

Even as Zii Jia continues to stress on numerous occasions that he is not Chong Wei, it did not stop him from being criticised for his erratic and seemingly below-par performance at times. 

Surely, Zii Jia's rapid rise would have taken more notice and less criticised if there were no legacies to compare with. He would also have more freedom to develop naturally, instead of meeting expectations left by a legend. 

BAM's role

It is understandable why the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) would want to produce the next Chong Wei, but is that necessary and must it be another Chong Wei per se? Legends are what they are because they are made once in a lifetime.

BAM has been producing so many well developed independent players, who continue to thrive on their own on the international stage. Take the Goh Liu Ying and Chan Peng Soon duo, they have been independent since 2018 and are still ranked top 10 in the world (until their split recently). 

There are also two independent men's doubles in the top 20s - with Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi even winning bronze in the recent world championships. In fact, I don’t think there is any other country that has as many independent players ranked in the top 20s. 

BAM should be innovative - using their experiences to harness, develop and support a pool of potential talents that can be self-sufficient and be provided incentives to be called up for national service - they are after all still Malaysians. 

This would ease the pressure of developing just 24 top-performing players and enable more representation on the world stage.

Respect Zii Jia's decision

I applaud Zii Jia’s bravery in making such a big decision to leave BAM at this stage of his career. It would seem risky and may not be wise, but I am sure it was necessary in his own judgement to carve out his own future and career due to the circumstances he is in. 

To subject such a young man to commit to such expectations will certainly rob him of the life he deserves to enjoy at his age. Perhaps he could follow Viktor Axelson, who himself is an independent player, and have achieved greater success after turning professional. 

In the meantime, BAM should call it “mission accomplished” rather than hold and penalise Zii Jia, as he strives to find his own success.

• To be world’s best, you must be able to handle pressure, Chong Wei tells Zii Jia

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.