Chong Wei admits BAM performance committee chief role challenging

National badminton legend Lee Chong Wei says that serving as chairman of the Badminton Association of Malaysia’s (BAM) performance committee has not been an easy responsibility, 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 difference between current players and those of his generation made it difficult to bring about changes, Bernama reported.

Instead, he said, it 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 Zafrul Aziz, to get his views and advice before making any important decisions.

“It’s not easy because the current generation (of badminton players) is not the same. I have 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, a podcast 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 the national badminton objective.

“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 was quoted as saying.

According to Chong Wei, his involvement with BAM after hanging up his racket in 2019 was 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, he 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.

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