KUALA LUMPUR: Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh is delighted that national shuttler Lee Zii Jia has finally appointed a coach for himself.
Yeoh said Wong Tat Meng's appointment is a positive step for Zii Jia and hopes to see him improve himself under the former's guidance.
The World No 10, who has been coach-less since November, has struggled with erratic form.
"Before the (Tat Meng) announcement we knew that he had a problem in the coaching aspect. We all know that it is very important to have a coach," said Yeoh today.
"We are very happy that Zii Jia has moved forward and has decided to appoint a coach. With this new 'coach, we hope that he will continue to make improvements.
"We know that Zii Jia wants to win the (Olympic) gold so we are glad to see that he is taking steps to improve himself."
Zii Jia is one of 11 shuttlers under the Road to Gold (RTG) programme which is co-chaired by Yeoh and Olympic Council of Malaysia president Tan Sri Norza Zakaria.
Yeoh, when asked, indicated that Tat Meng's salary is not being paid by RTG.
"As I have mentioned before, RTG is intended to top-up the requirements of athletes," said Yeoh.
"A coach, however, is a basic requirement for any player."
RTG is intended to give cream-of-the-crop athletes the support they need to challenge for gold at the Paris Olympics next year as well as Los Angeles 2028.