KUALA LUMPUR: The country’s professional men’s singles shuttler, Lee Zii Jia’s inclusion in the Thomas Cup squad has come with a cost, as the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has to pay ‘image rights’ for the player.

TeamLZJ, in a statement today, confirmed the matter, saying that ‘image rights’ is an important aspect for a professional athlete.

“We value the importance of image rights that is essential for the livelihood of a professional athlete independent from the association. We are very glad that BAM recognises this and is supportive of the existence of professional athletes.