Lee Zii Jia will join the national contingent for the upcoming Thomas Cup in April, even agreeing to play without any image rights fee.
"Zii Jia has agreed to waive his image rights fee to represent the country at the upcoming Thomas Cup, reflecting his commitment and dedication to Malaysia," said Team LZJ in a statement.
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Zii Jia's decision came after he met with Lee Chong Wei, who is the new Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) performance committee chairman last Friday.
The Paris Olympics bronze medalist asked for a week to give his decision, but has responded soon than expected.
The shuttler deciding to play without any cost comes as a big difference this time around.
Two years ago, BAM had to fork out an 'image rights' fee for every match Zii Jia played at the 2024 Thomas Cup, due to the shuttler donning the national jersey with conflicting sponsors.
In that team event, Zii Jia helped Malaysia reach the semi-finals after winning three or five matches.
He lost to Denmark's Viktor Axelsen and world number one Shi Yuqi of China in the semis.
This time around, the Kedah-born is expected to play as the second or third men's singles at the tournament to be hosted in Denmark.
