Stop disturbing Zii Jia, let’s celebrate his success - Hannah

KUALA LUMPUR: Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh has urged everybody to stop criticising national shuttler Lee Zii Jia for now.

Instead, Hannah said Malaysians should celebrate his achievement of winning the second bronze medal for Malaysia at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

"Discussion on being with the association vs being independent can wait for another day.

"Yes there's been history with BAM (Badminton Association of Malaysia), yes he was briefly in RTG (Road to Gold) and then he decided otherwise and now he is fully independent but can we as a nation just pause for now and celebrate the fact that this young man has come a long way, picked himself up and now made it to the Olympics podium?" she said in a Facebook post today.

In the meantime, Hannah said she would leave the details of financial rewards and financial support to another day and wanted Zii Jia to seize his wonderful moment in Paris for now.

"Celebrate his success and well done to his coach Wong Tat Meng for helping Zii Jia make it this far," she said.

Yesterday, Zii Jia delivered the second bronze for Malaysia when he bounced back from a game down to outlast India's Lakshya Sen 13-21, 21-16, 21-11 in an energy-sapping 71-minute third-placing playoff at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena.

On Sunday (Aug 4), men's doubles aces Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik delivered the first medal for Malaysia at Paris 2024 when they clawed their way back from the brink of defeat to overcome Danes Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen 16-21, 22-20, 21-19 in the bronze medal playoff.

-- BERNAMA

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