Danish delight?: Chan Peng Soon will be heading to the Denmark Open with mixed doubles partner Cheah Yee See.
PETALING JAYA: A change in Chan Peng Soon’s Chinese name in 2020 has failed to work wonders for the veteran mixed doubles shuttler.
And the 34-year-old has recently reverted to his original name in the hope of better fortunes and health.
Peng Soon had changed his name because he had suffered facial paralysis or what is known as Bell’s Palsy during the World Tour Finals in Guangzhou, China, in 2019.
For the change, the strokes to his last name Shun were tweaked although the pronunciation remained the same.
But Peng Soon claimed his health was not getting any better after the name change and it actually got worse.
“I had my name changed before and I have since changed it back to my original given name.
“I changed it the first time because I kept falling ill. I went to see a sifu (teacher) who advised me that changing my name could be beneficial for my health,” said Peng Soon.
“My sifu helped to legally change my Chinese name but after that, I felt like there was no impact or benefits toward my health. So I changed it back.”
Unlike men’s doubles shuttler Goh V Shem, who changed his name in 2012 to achieve wins in his career, Peng Soon did it just for staying healthy.
“The reason I changed my name is because of my personal health and it has nothing to do with my professional career.
“Some Chinese people believe in these superstitions that when we change our names, it will be beneficial for us,” he added.
Peng Soon and his partner Cheah Yee See will open their campaign against the newly formed combination from China, Feng Yanzhe-Huang Dongping, in the Denmark Open starting on Oct 18.
