SUBANG JAYA – Professional men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia is leaving it up to the last hour to sign the Letter of Commitment (LoC) required of all athletes to participate in the Road to Gold (RTG) programme.
High-performance programme coordinator Datuk Stuart Ramalingam said that the world number 11 badminton player needs time to go through the document, but has until November 14 (Tuesday) to sign.
“Lee Zii Jia needs more time to ensure he understands the contents of the agreement and that he can fully commit to the contract.
“In my meeting with him, he is confident and supports what we are doing, so there should not be any issues for his side.
“It is now up to Zii Jia to hash things out with his team and we shall wait until the 14th,” said Stuart when met during the launch of Phase 2 of the Football Association of Malaysia’s (FAM) F:30 roadmap, here today.
He added that if the All England champion fails to sign by the deadline, a decision will be made on Zii Jia’s future in the programme.
“We won’t take any action (if Zii Jia fails to sign by November 14) but we will make a decision afterwards.
“Let’s not make early speculations, if after the deadline he still has not signed the document I will come out with a statement then,” he said.
It was revealed last month that the world number 11 shuttler is the only athlete who has yet to sign the LoC.
Fourteen others have signed the agreement, which is a prerequisite in exchange for the benefits and services provided to the athletes under the elite programme in the nation’s pursuit of gold at the Paris and Los Angeles Olympics in 2024 and 2028, respectively.
Stuart said previously that Zii Jia has received sports science services twice under the programme, despite not signing the LoC.
However, the stipulated additional funds and allowances will not be provided until Zii Jia signs the agreement. – November 11, 2023