One positive factor to come out of Malaysia’s Thomas Cup campaign is the resurgence of Lee Zii Jia, who won all his matches to finish his campaign as the national team’s most prolific shuttler.

To continue building on that success, there is talks for Lee to continue training at the Academy Badminton Malaysia on a more consistent basis.

It would be a win-win situation for both the independent shuttler as well as the current national men’s singles shuttlers, who could both do with quality sparring sessions and high training intensity.

Lee himself has indicated he willing to return to ABM for match-play purposes and not on a full-time basis.

He currently has his own sparring partners in Cheam June Wei and Chuah Kim Sheng, but the likes of Leong Jun Hao and Justin Hoh would provide more quality.

Similarly for the national shuttlers, sparring with a fully fit Lee would provide them with more matchplay intensity and increase the chemistry for both parties especially where team events are concerned.

So in this regard, a hybrid model where Lee returns to train at ABM while maintaining his own programme with his coach Liew Daren would prove ideal.

The Badminton Association of Malaysia are also open to the idea, as expressed by its performance committee chairman Lee Chong Wei.

Both parties understand it will not be a straightforward decision, as differing sponsors obligations and the approval of BAM council members could prove a stumbling block.

But with the 2026 Asian Games coming up and the men's team still yet to secure a medal in this multi-sports team event, Zii Jia's presence could prove a crucial one.

For that, he will need to train with the best the country has to offer and the BAM offers just that with its players and facilities.