After a long period of absence due to injury, Malaysia's first brother Lee Zi Jia has applied to the BWF for world ranking protection

Malaysia's Paris Olympics badminton men's singles bronze medallist Lee Zi Jia will be out of action due to injury, and the team released an official statement on Monday confirming that Lee Zi Jia has applied to the BWF for world ranking protection.

Li Zijia has applied to the BWF for world ranking protection

World No. 9 Lee Zi Jia suffered a ligament injury in his right ankle in the group stage of the World Tour Finals in December last year, and then missed the home Malaysia Badminton Super 1000, India Badminton Super 750 and Indonesia Badminton Super 500 in January this year, and did not return to the Orleans Badminton Super 300 and All England Badminton Super 1000 in March this year.

However, Li Zijia withdrew from last week's Swiss Badminton Super 300 tournament to focus on the treatment of his ankle injury, and he eventually withdrew from the 2025 Badminton Asia Championships next month.

In this regard, Li Zijia's team issued a statement on Monday, saying: "After careful consideration and with the advice of relevant parties, including medical experts, Li Zijia's team has submitted and successfully applied for Li Zijia's ranking protection to the Badminton World Federation (BWF)." "The move is to allow Zijia to continue his recovery from his right ankle injury, and he will miss upcoming matches, including the Asian Badminton Championships."

At the same time, Li Zijia's team also reassured all parties, "We are fully assisting Zijia with her rehabilitation and training program. "When he returns to competition will depend on how well he progresses." "We thank all our fans and sponsors for their continued unwavering support."