KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 — The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) will leave it to their coaches to decide whether or not men’s singles ace Lee Zii Jia, who confirmed that he wants to quit the national governing body, is chosen to compete in the Badminton Asia Team Championships from February 15-20.

BAM president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria said it would be up to the coaches to select the best squad as well as to set a realistic target for the biennial championships, which also serves as the 2022 Thomas Cup Qualifiers.

"Anyway, we will have the best preparation, it’s up to the coaches to suggest, perhaps a combination of professional players and BAM shuttlers, but it’s all up to them to make their proposal.

"As for the target, I have yet to discuss it with the coaches. Let them suggest first and let’s see if it is realistic or not,” he said when met by reporters after the launch of the Queen’s Baton Relay in conjunction with the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games here today.

Yesterday, Mohamad Norza confirmed that world number seven and reigning All England champion Zii Jia had tendered his resignation letter to the national badminton governing body on January 11, with BAM deputy president Datuk Seri Jahaberdeen Mohamed Yunoos set to announce their decision on the matter tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Mohamad Norza also confirmed that the government had given BAM the green light to host the Badminton Asia Team Championships in collaboration with the Selangor government, at Setia City Convention Centre.

He said that with the championships set to be the first major badminton meet to be held in Malaysia since the country was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, it could prove to be the starting point for the hosting of bigger tournaments, such as the Malaysia Open and Malaysia Masters, in the coming months.

"They may be some amendments or modifications (to the standard operating procedures) based on the (Covid-19) situation, which is heading towards the endemic phase. I am confident we will put in place appropriate measure, especially for foreign players.

"We also do not want an out-of-control Covid-19 situation to happen in our country because of the tournament. I don’t think we will do full bubble (concept), but details of the SOP and the list of participating nations will be announced soon,” he said.

In the 2020 edition in Manila, Malaysia’s men’s squad emerged runners-up after losing 3-1 to Indonesia while the women’s team fell 3-0 in the semi-finals to eventual champions Japan.

The four top teams from each of the men and women’s categories will qualify for the Thomas Cup (men) and Uber Cup (women) to be held in Bangkok, Thailand in May. — Bernama