PETALING JAYA: “I’m not God.”
Newly appointed Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) performance committee chairman Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei reminded everyone that he does not have a magic wand to turn around the fortunes of the struggling singles squad overnight.
Chong Wei officially took on the role yesterday, following the announcement by BAM president Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz after chairing the council meeting.
The former world No. 1 acknowledged the stark contrast between the men’s and women’s singles squads and the doubles teams, who have been enjoying consistent success and title wins.
“I can say that I’m not God. I’m just here to help. Performance depends on the players, while training programmes are the responsibility of the coaches,” said the three-time Olympic Games silver medal winner Chong Wei.
“My role is to work closely with the coaches. If a player faces any issues, we’ll help. “Sometimes, the coach may give instructions that the player disagrees with – that’s where I’ll step in to mediate. Because ultimately, performance comes down to the players.
“It’s not me or the coach who’s playing. The coach designs the training programme, but it’s the player who executes it on court. If the coach asks player A to attack but he keeps defending, what can you do?
“It depends on the player. I can’t force them or say they must become champions. It’s up to them, but I can share my 19 years of experience in BAM on how to stay motivated and how to deal with problems.
“We’ll solve issues together. Coaches can discuss matters with me, and we’ll sit down to find solutions.
“We’re not gods who can guarantee an Olympic champion. Of course, we hope they will become one, but our role is to help them reach that level,” said Chong Wei.
More importantly, Chong Wei stressed that there should be no undue pressure placed on national singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen, as the Dane has made significant efforts over the past eight months despite the lack of titles from the singles players.
“We have to give coach Jonassen some time. We already knew before he came that the men’s singles situation would be challenging.
“We have to accept that the men’s singles department is currently struggling as there are no results and no new players emerging. We need to find solutions,” he added.
Meanwhile, BAM’s latest committee appointments saw a few changes, as Zafrul revealed that he would not be heading any of the committees, while both he and secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh would stay out of them to prevent any conflict of interest.
“We streamlined the committees from 14 to 10, focusing on aligning them with the Tangkis 2030 plan,” he said.
“From these 10 committees, we have agreed to appoint nine chairmen, all of whom are council members, while the rest will serve as members. We will finalise this soon and also invite experts in their respective fields to be part of the committees.
“No, I can’t be in the committee. Otherwise, it would be a conflict.
“The secretary-general and I cannot be in the committees because that could lead to favouritism,” added Zafrul.
