KUALA LUMPUR: The participation of national champion Datuk Lee Chong Wei in the national Thomas Cup squad will not affect the preparation of the world number one player for the Olympics in London this July.
On the other hand, Badminton Association of Malaysia secretary Ng Chin Chai said the participation of Chong Wei in the Thomas Cup was part of his training programme.
“Participating in the Thomas Cup will help him to be ready for the Olympics,” he told Bernama here Thursday.
He said the decision on the matter was made by the BAM Exco in a meeting last week and Chong Wei had been registered as a player.
Earlier, there were several parties who questioned the involvement of the national athlete in the Thomas Cup when his main focus should be on winning the Olympic gold medal.
The national squad this time is seen as weak and may not be able to make it past the qualifying round in Macau on Feb 13 to 19.
The national team taking up the Thomas Cup challenge included singles players Muhammad Hafiz Hashim, Liew Daren and Mohd Arif Abdul Latif and the double pairs of Koo Kien Keat/Tan Boon Heong, Goh V. Shem/Lim Khim Wah and Hoon Thien How/Teo Kok Siang.
According to Ng, Chong Wei had sufficient time to prepare for the Olympics and in fact the number of tournaments he would be taking part this year would also be reduced.
“We at BAM will do all that we can to help him prepare for the Olympics,” he said.
Besides helping the national Thomas Cup squad, the player from Penang is also scheduled to defend his third All England title this March. — BERNAMA