KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 1 — The Road To Gold (RTG) Committee will discuss at its next meeting the action to take if national badminton ace Lee Zii Jia fails to sign the Letter of Commitment (LOC) to join the RTG programme by November 14.
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Former national badminton champion and Soul Sports Physio and Rehab Centre co-founder Datuk Lee Chong Wei speaks during the centre's opening ceremony in Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur, on April 26, 2023. — Picture by BERNAMA[/caption]
Badminton legend Datuk Lee Chong Wei, an RTG Committee member, said any decision on the issue would only be taken at the meeting.
“As stated by RTG coordinator Datuk Stuart Ramalingam, Lee has two weeks to sign the agreement. Maybe he is busy with many overseas tournaments or needs to consider it.
“Stuart will follow up with Lee. Hope he can settle the agreement within the given period. The subsequent decision will be made at the meeting; a single person cannot decide it,” he said to the press when asked about the issue today.
Yesterday, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said Lee, ranked 11th globally, is the only athlete who has yet to sign the agreement and has been given 14 days to do so.
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National professional mixed doubles pair Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei in action at the 2022 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals in Bangkok, Thailand, on December 9, 2022. — Picture via FACEBOOK/BAM[/caption]
Chong Wei, who is also the RTG badminton team manager, said the two mixed doubles pairs dropped from the programme — professionals Tan Kian Meng - Lai Pei Jing and Goh Soon Huat - Shevon Lai Jemie — can be reinstated if their performances improve.
They are still being assisted with physiotherapy support services despite being dropped from the programme.
The two pairs are currently out of the qualification list for the Paris Olympics as Goh - Shevon are 16th and Tan - Lai are 24th in world rankings.
— Bernama
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(from left to right) National badminton players and mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat and Lai Shevon Jemie in action during their match against Taiwanese players Chang Ko-Chi and Lee Chih Chen, at the 2023 Malaysia Open Badminton Championships in Axiata Arena Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, on January 10, 2023. — Picture by BERNAMA[/caption]
