PETALING JAYA: Olympic silver medallist Lee Chong Wei expressed his
sadness over the demise of badminton great Datuk Punch Gunalan, hailing
his immense contribution to the sport.
“I heard he was seriously ill when I was in London for the Olympics. I wanted to visit him as soon as I got back but I couldn’t break free from my heavy schedule,” Chong Wei said after paying his respects yesterday.
Punch was still a council member when Chong Wei joined the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) academy at Taman Maluri in 1999.
“I remembered him because he took great interest in the welfare of the players. He always made an effort to talk to the player. He was a respected figure in the world federation but he continued to take care of the athletes’ interest,” said Chong Wei.
“He brought so many changes to the sport. He helped to lift the profile of the game and the players will always be grateful for his efforts.
“I met him during the Malaysian Open in January when BAM celebrated all the legends. He spoke well and encouraged me to keep fighting. I heard he was also cheering for me despite being sick during the Olympics. He was a great man.”
Besides Chong Wei, many other current and former players also paid their last respect to Punch yesterday.
- THE STAR
“I heard he was seriously ill when I was in London for the Olympics. I wanted to visit him as soon as I got back but I couldn’t break free from my heavy schedule,” Chong Wei said after paying his respects yesterday.
Punch was still a council member when Chong Wei joined the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) academy at Taman Maluri in 1999.
“I remembered him because he took great interest in the welfare of the players. He always made an effort to talk to the player. He was a respected figure in the world federation but he continued to take care of the athletes’ interest,” said Chong Wei.
“He brought so many changes to the sport. He helped to lift the profile of the game and the players will always be grateful for his efforts.
“I met him during the Malaysian Open in January when BAM celebrated all the legends. He spoke well and encouraged me to keep fighting. I heard he was also cheering for me despite being sick during the Olympics. He was a great man.”
Besides Chong Wei, many other current and former players also paid their last respect to Punch yesterday.
- THE STAR
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