Lee Chong Wei ‘feels like giving up’ on Malaysian badminton
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Japan's Koki Watanabe celebrates after winning against Malaysia's Leong Jun Hao in their men's singles semi-finals match at the 2024 Badminton Asia Team Championships.
PHOTO: AFP
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KUALA LUMPUR – Lee Chong Wei says he “feels like giving up” on Malaysian badminton and warned ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics that “drastic” changes were needed to rescue the sport in the country.
The Malaysian badminton great spoke out after his country lost 3-0 to China in the final of the men’s competition at the Asia Team Championships in Shah Alam on Feb 18.
China were far superior despite not fielding their strongest side. India lifted the women’s crown, with hosts Malaysia failing to get beyond the quarter-finals.
The tournament offered ranking points towards the July 26-Aug 11 Olympics.
“I know the truth hurts, but I think Malaysian badminton will only go downhill from here if nothing is done,” Lee was quoted as saying by The Star newspaper.
“Right now, I feel like giving up on Malaysian badminton,” added the 41-year-old, who retired in 2019 after a career that included three Olympic silver medals and three silvers at the world championships.
“When I speak the truth, I’m seen as the bad guy. (But) we can’t be just saying all is good when obviously some things are not right.”
The former world No. 1 also said Malaysia’s badminton authorities had to do more to promote younger players, while accusing some players of lacking discipline and commitment.
“We have to make some drastic changes,” he said.
“Look at all the other countries, they keep sending their younger players for tournaments. Even if they lose to higher-ranked players, they keep sending them out, that’s how you build their confidence.
“Here, if the youngsters lose, they are put in cold storage. How are they going to develop?”
On solutions, Lee said: “Tennis stars like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and footballer Cristiano Ronaldo are a disciplined lot... they know what it takes to be top stars – all work and no play.
“If not, we will be left behind, left far behind, and badminton will no longer be one of the top sports in this country. I really can’t bear to face that.”
It has been a bad week for Malaysian sport.
Last week, diving queen Pandelela Rinong had to clear the air on an “entity” issue, stating that her words have been misinterpreted by the media, leading to speculation and misunderstanding.
Malaysia’s national diving squad had a below-par performance at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar, which saw them fail to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
Pandelela, 30, had mentioned that “something happened” when asked by the media what could have affected the team’s performance upon her arrival from Doha, although she did not reveal details.
This sparked speculation as to what “entity” she was referring to and prompted an investigation by the Malaysia Swimming Federation.
But she insisted: “These issues are related to training. However, they have been translated into terms like ‘entity’ and ‘third party’, which is very misleading to the public.”
Malaysia’s Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh has since confirmed there is no “entity” disrupting the team after speaking to Pandelela, an Olympic silver and bronze medallist.
“As Pandelela said, when she came back (from Doha), she was asked questions by the media and her reply did not imply (involvement) of a third party or entity,” she said.
AFP, THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
