Badminton: Chong Wei's Emotional Retirement Announcement

PUTRAJAYA, June 13 (Bernama) -- National shuttler Lee Chong Wei Thursday announced that he would ‘hang up the racket’ after 19 illustrious years of playing for the country on the international stage. The announcement was made at a special press conference at Menara KBS here. Also present at the conference were Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, his deputy Steven Sim and Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Mohamad Norza Zakaria. At the packed press conference attended by local and foreign media, a tearful Lee, 36, said it was a heavy decision to make as he really loved the sports which he started playing since the age of 10. “Today, everyone knows I want to announce my retirement announcement after 19 years with BAM. It’s not easy for me to make this decision because I really love this sport, but right now, my health is more important to me,” he said. “I took one month rest after the check-up in Taiwan in April and discussed with my wife and family about the decision. I also discussed with Datuk Norza and YB Syed Saddiq, and decided to make the announcement after Hari Raya. “...more importantly is that I want to thank you all the media who have supported me throughout my 19-year career. It wasn’t easy for me to don the Gemilang Malaysia jersey and go all over the world to play in those tournaments. I’m proud of myself that I can give the best results for my country. “There are so many people I need to thank. I want to say thank you to KBS, MSN (the National Sports Council of Malaysia), ISN (the National Sports Institute) and most importantly, the BAM. Special thanks to all my coaches, especially Datuk Misbun (Sidek) who built me up, Hendrawan, Tey Seu Bock and others who supported me as well as officials from ISN. “...and many thanks also to my family and my wife. I also want to thank my fellow Malaysians who always supported me to fight for my country,” said a tearful Chong Wei, turning the conference into a sombre affair. Chong Wei explained that after undergoing a medical test in April, the doctor who treated him advised him to take a long break from heavy training. “My doctor and I realised that the training involved in badminton is high intensity, and after much discussion, I sensed that the doctor was reluctant to let me continue with the heavy training,” he said. Chong Wei, a former world number one player, has dedicated 19 years of his life to professional badminton and has made a name for himself as a world-class respected player. Among his achievements were three silver Olympic medals he won in Beijing in 2008, London in 2012 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016. The last he emerged champion was at the Malaysia Open 2018, his 12th Malaysia Open title. In September last year, Chong Wei was diagnosed with early stage of nose cancer and received treatment in Taiwan. The four-time Sportsman of the Year’s health issue began to gain attention when he pulled out from the World Championship in Nanjing, China, and from the Asian Games in Jakarta, Palembang, both in 2018. He was confirmed to have fully recovered after a four-month treatment in Taiwan and resumed recovery training at the BAM Academy, Bukit Kiara early January this year. However, rumours about the retirement of the athlete, who will turn 37 in October, were rife after he did not resume training for a month after taking a break at the end of April to undergo a follow-up medical check-up in Taiwan to prevent relapse of the nose cancer as advised by his doctor. -- BERNAMA