**: China News Network.
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 22 (Reuters) -- Former world champion Lee Chong Wei's concerns about the future of the country's badminton are "justified" "although they fail to reflect the overall performance of the national team," Badminton Association president Norza said on Feb 21.
At the Asian Badminton Team Championships that ended in Malaysia on the 18th, as the host, the Malaysian national team won the silver medal in the men's team, and the women's team stopped in the quarterfinals.
In an interview with the local English-language ** Star newspaper, Lee Chong Wei believes that although the men's team won the silver medal, the men's doubles lost to players who were much lower than him in the final; The women's team didn't improve much either.
Lee Chong Wei said, "If we don't take action, Malaysian badminton will only go downhill from here. He even said he now wants to "give up Malaysian badminton".
In an interview with Malaysian News Agency, Norza responded that he had spoken to Lee Chong Wei and recognized his interest in Malaysian badminton. He also said that with only a few months to go before the Paris Olympics, it would be difficult for the association to make major changes.
Norza defended that a number of players in the tournament had injury problems, but the Malaysian national team performed well and the national team is actively preparing for the Paris Olympics. He hopes that after this year's Paris Olympics, Lee Chong Wei will be able to join the BWF, preferably full-time, "sharing experience and coaching the national team".