Chong Wei admits task as BAM Performance Committee chairman challenging

KUALA LUMPUR - After more than a year as the chairman of the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) Performance Committee, national badminton legend Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei admitted that the responsibility is not easy, especially in making decisions involving players from a different generation.

Chong Wei, who was appointed to the position on Oct 18 last year, said the generational difference between current players and his time made efforts to bring about change not easy, but rather required him to continue learning and adapting to the challenges he faced.

The former world number one men's singles player said he also often discussed with BAM president Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, to get his views and advice before making any important decisions.

"It’s not easy because the generation (of badminton players) is not the same now, I learnt a lot from this generation.

"I always call Tengku (for advice) and discuss with the president, sometimes as performance committee chairman, it’s not easy to make the decision,” he said in the second episode of Ngopi Dengan Zafrul hosted by Tengku Zafrul on Youtube.

However, the three-time Olympic silver medallist said he was not afraid of public criticism in carrying out his responsibilities, as long as he was confident that the difficult decisions made were correct and for the good of national badminton.

"There will be public reaction, I accept all the public noise because you want to do the right thing, while some people may not agree,” he said.

He said his involvement with BAM after hanging up his racket in 2019 was also driven by the desire to repay the services of the governing body, which had helped him a lot during his almost two decades with the national squad.

Meanwhile, Chong Wei stressed that discipline is one of the important elements for a badminton player to achieve success at the highest level.

He said a player's career is limited and they need to be willing to make sacrifices to improve their performance, including in terms of fitness and physical strength.

The 44-year-old world badminton icon also reminded players not to waste opportunities while they are still active, and to take seriously the advice given by those who are more experienced.

On support for the development of national sports, Chong Wei called for greater involvement of the private sector as government assistance alone may not be enough to meet the needs of various sports.

He gave examples of support from private companies in countries such as Japan, China and South Korea to help develop sports and as an important source for athletes and teams to obtain sponsorship. - BERNAMA