KUALA LUMPUR: Former world badminton greats Datuk Lee Chong Wei (pix) of Malaysia and China’s Lin Dan (pix) of China are both worthy inductees of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Hall of Fame.
BWF in a statement stressed that both Chong Wei and Lin Dan deserved the recognition awarded to them on May 26 following their outstanding contributions to badminton beyond the confines of the court over a significant period of time.
It also stated that the BWF Council endorsed the nominations of Chong Wei and Lin Dan for the Hall of Fame as per the selection criteria outlined in the BWF Awards Regulations.
”BWF recognises the achievements and contributions of many legends of the sport and looks forward to inducting more champions into the BWF Hall of Fame in the coming years,” it said.
Recently, former Indonesian ace Taufik Hidayat in a video on social media questioned Chong Wei’s induction.
“In competition, what’s taken into account is who is champion, not who is most (consistent). Also, it’s not about who is longest in the number one spot. Between winning 10 silver and only one gold, which would you choose?” said the 2004 Olympic Games gold medallist in the video.
In a response to Bernama last Friday, the 40-year-old Chong Wei has urged Taufik to seek clarification from the BWF and hoped the governing body would issue a statement clarifying the matter.
The Penangite admitted that he was unhappy and surprised by Taufik’s statement which seemed to indicate his disagreement over the selection decided upon by the BWF.
Chong Wei was world number one for 349 weeks, and won three silver Olympic medals, namely in Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016, but had never won gold at the Games or the world championships.
Lin Dan, meanwhile, clinched two Olympic golds in Beijing 2008 and London 2012, and had five world championship titles under his belt (2006, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013). - Bernama
