Zii Jia's Team Received 2 Additional Accreditations Before Olympics, Says OCM's Hamidin
The Olympic Council of Malaysia has come under public scrutiny after its president, Tan Sri Norza Zakaria, brought his wife and son to Paris.
By Sadho Ram — 12 Aug 2024, 06:32 PM
National contingent chef de mission Datuk Hamidin Amin has now claimed that independent shuttler Lee Zii Jia was actually granted additional accreditations for the Paris 2024 Olympics
Hamidin's statement comes amid public concerns about the distribution of accreditation cards after a social media post went viral, showing Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tan Sri Norza Zakaria sitting together with his wife and son during the men's doubles badminton bronze medal match at the Adidas Arena in Port de la Chapelle on Sunday, 4 August.
The presence of Norza's family at the Olympics became an issue after netizens lambasted OCM, pointing out that national women's badminton professional player Goh Jin Wei had to compete without her coach, and men's singles player Zii Jia had to self-fund his entire team after no Team LZJ staff names were included in the list of officials named by OCM due to insufficient accreditation cards.
Zii Jia, who won a bronze medal in the men's singles event, had requested additional accreditations for his sparring partner and physiotherapist. However, at the time, no official updates had been provided.
Hamidin, who is also OCM deputy president, said the accreditations were handed to to Zii Jia's team before their departure to Paris
"Zii Jia had requested two additional cards for a sparring partner and a physio.
"The OCM worked to acquire the cards and was successful in its efforts. The cards were handed to his team before they left Malaysia. The sparring partner and physio were at the athlete's village along with coach Wong Tat Meng," Hamidin was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times.
Hamidin also took the opportunity to clarify the situation involving Jin Wei and her coach, Nova Armada
Jin Wei had to compete in Paris without her coach, as efforts to secure accreditation for him had failed. This led to criticism of the OCM for not securing the necessary accreditation.
However, Hamidin explained that the decision for Nova to stay back in Malaysia was made after discussions between Nova, Jin Wei, and the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).
"Nova agreed to stay back and prepare his para-shuttlers for the Paralympics.
"This is why he did not join Jin Wei in Paris. During the discussion, BAM coaching director Rexy Mainaky agreed to assist Jin Wei during her matches at the Olympics," Hamidin added.
