Tokyo: Malaysia’s badminton legend, Lee Chong Wei, and three-time Olympic silver medalist has been nominated by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) to become the manager of the badminton’s ‘Road to Gold’ (RTG) team for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
However, he faced the challenging task of preparing the Malaysian badminton players for the world-class competition and changing their mindset to become less spoiled and more disciplined.
He emphasized that discipline is key to becoming a successful athlete, and he planned to help the players maintain consistent performance while avoiding injuries.
Lee highlighted that the mentality of players today is different from when he was a player, which poses a challenge for coaches. He noted that in the past, coaches did not discuss training schedules with players, and it was the player’s responsibility to train consistently. However, nowadays, coaches need to communicate and discuss training schedules with players, which can be challenging.
Lee Chong Wei believed that players should not be too spoiled and need to understand that they need the support of their association or team to become successful. He emphasized the importance of balancing players’ needs and the association’s requirements. He suggested that waking up early in the morning to train is one of the ways to become more disciplined. He also stressed that time as an athlete is short, and athletes need to maintain their performance consistently to become successful in their careers.
In addition, Lee reminded all athletes listed in the RTG Program and prospects to qualify for the Olympics to be cautious and focused on training to avoid injuries. He mentioned the importance of getting enough rest and avoiding injuries, particularly since the qualifying period for badminton is quite challenging, lasting for a year starting from May 1.
“Every tournament is competitive, with every player striving to qualify for the Olympics and secure a seeding position. Therefore, it’s vital to maintain focus,” said Lee.
Lee is determined to work hard to help Malaysia excel in badminton at the Paris 2024 Olympics. He is aiming to have two Malaysian representatives in the men’s singles event, with Lee Zii Jia as the mainstay and Ng Tze Yong also expected to qualify. He has promised to w
In addition, BAM has proposed to the RTG Committee to appoint Lee as the manager of the RTG badminton team for the 2024 Paris Games. If he accepts the position, he will play a key role in guiding and leading the team to success at the Olympics.
