Chan’s father eagerly awaiting final

Chan and friends - Photo by CHAN BOON KAI

GEORGE TOWN: The coffeeshop in Jalan Thean Teik in Air Itam here is abuzz with excitement.

Just an hour before the start of the game which will see his son, national shuttler Chan Peng Soon competing in the mixed doubles finals of the Olympic Games, Chan Chee Kong, 57, and his friends have already gathered and settled in their chairs comfortably.

Their eyes are trained on a flat-screen television erected on the wall beside an altar.

Chee Kong was spotted chatting with his friends, smiling once in a while to press members who are already on standby.

Beside him was Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh and Air Itam assemblyman Wong Hon Wai.

Chan Chee Kong giving the thumbs up before the start of the game.

Chee Kong said his wife, younger son and other family members were getting ready to watch the match at a live screening in Gurney Paragon Mall, where Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng will also be present.

"I'm a low profile person, so I chose to watch it here.

"Also, this is the place where I always watch badminton with my friends," he said when met.

A calm looking Chee Kong, who is also an avid badminton player himself, said he taught Peng Soon how to play badminton since he was five or six years old.

"This is my first time watching a game with the media and all the YBs.

"Let's just hope for the best," he added.