PETALING JAYA: Lee Zii Jia can play as a professional player sooner than expected for Malaysia even if Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) decide to ban him for two years. There is a rule in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) that allows him to do so but he has to move to another country first. Under the BWF jurisdiction rule, it was earlier stated that a player needed to stay only for three months abroad to get an approval from the member association of that country to play. "By moving to another base, they get to continue their growth as a badminton player. These players do not have to change their citizenship and they can choose to play under their own national flag."

Source: The Star January 22, 2022 01:03 UTC