PUTRAJAYA, Dec 19 — Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh today said that the apology issued by Victor over the inverted Jalur Gemilang on Lee Zii Jia’s jersey is sufficient, and urged that the issue not be prolonged.
The minister said that Lee Zii Jia had no intention of disrespecting the country and called on managers and athletes to take such matters seriously to prevent similar occurrences in the future, according to a report published today by national news agency Bernama.
Victor is the sponsor for the national men’s singles professional shuttler.
“Like I said, the apology has been issued from Victor. I have not checked (if Zii Jia’s team has issued an apology). For me, I feel that it’s sufficient for now,” she said during a press conference for the KBS Sports Fund 2025 today.
Yeoh added that the National Sports Council (NSC) has been tasked with drafting guidelines to avoid similar incidents.
“The NSC will come up with a draft for me. Then we will update (guidelines to prevent such issues from happening),” she noted.
Zii Jia faced criticism after wearing a jersey with the Malaysian flag stitched upside down during the recent BWF World Tour Finals.
Separately, Yeoh shared that she will meet Team LZJ in January regarding the Road to Gold programme.
On national track cycling champion Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang, she indicated that a meeting with him is likely to take place next year due to year-end schedules.
The NSC has given the Malaysian National Cycling Federation until December 31 to confirm Mohd Azizulhasni’s participation in the Podium Programme for 2025.
