KUALA LUMPUR, April 12 — The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) will propose to the Road to Gold (RTG) Committee to appoint national badminton legend Datuk Lee Chong Wei as the team manager of the RTG badminton team to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

BAM in a statement today said it would be good if Chong Wei is given the task as preparations for Paris 2024 intensify and with the qualification tournaments starting next month (May).

BAM president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria in the same statement said the former world number one and three-time Olympic medallist is a suitable candidate to undertake the task based on his experience and knowledge in badminton.

"Chong Wei is a legend and was among the greatest players in the world... Chong Wei ticks all the boxes. He has volumes of knowledge, has first-hand experience from his playing days, knows the needs of the modern-day players and is widely respected by players,”

"There is no better person to be the Team Manager as we seek to achieve our golden dreams in Paris,” he said.

Chong Wei, who is also a member of the Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) Technical Advisory Panel, said he was delighted at the prospect of guiding our gold medal prospects and has vowed to help the Malaysian shuttlers in their quest for glory next year.

"While I am already part of the RTG Committee, if appointed as the RTG Badminton Team Manager, this will mean an increased focus on badminton and a closer hands-on role in terms of assisting them in their preparations.”

"This is an enormous responsibility, but if appointed, I am ready to take it on and play my part to help Malaysia. Winning our first-ever Olympic gold medal has become a national agenda, and it is the hope of every Malaysian,” said the silver medallist at the Beijing, London and Rio Olympics.

The national icon also expressed his thanks to Mohamad Norza for his trust besides admitting that it is not an easy task to bear the responsibility but the national team needs to work hard to perform well at the prestigious games. — Bernama