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Friday, July 6, 2012

BAM want Chong Wei to be Olympic flag bearer

KUALA LUMPUR: The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) have made an appeal for Lee Chong Wei to be the flag bearer in his third and final Olympic Games in London although diver Pandelela Rinong was named for the task last week.

Apparently, there is some confusion over the issue just days before the official flag handing ceremony at the Prime Minister’s office in Putra­jaya on July 11.
The London Games open on July 27.

Yesterday, Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) secretary Datuk Sieh Kok Chi said a decision had not been made on the flag bearer although chef-de-mission Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid and National Sports Council (NSC) director general Datuk Zolkples Embong had jointly announced that Pandelela would lead the contingent.

NSC had written an official letter stating the case for Pandelela, giving Chong Wei’s competition schedule as the reason for not considering the nation’s best prospect for gold in London.

The badminton competition be­­gins a day after the opening ceremony and NSC said they did not want to put too much strain on Chong Wei as the ceremony could be long and tiring.

OCM, however, have the final say and insist that a decision has not been made.
According to Kok Chi, OCM president Tunku Tan Sri Imran Tuanku Ja’afar had made a directive yesterday to the 19 executive board members to cast a ballot via e-mail to determine the flag bearer.
They have to choose between Chong Wei and Pandelela and the credentials of both athletes, the 2011 Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year, has been included to give the selectors a clear idea on who is the better candidate.

The outcome of the ballot will be revealed at noon today.

Yesterday, Chong Wei said he would attend the opening ceremony after missing out on the last two editions in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 because of the tight schedule.

“It doesn’t matter whether I attend as a flag bearer or just a member of the contingent. I don’t want to miss the atmosphere of the world’s biggest sporting event in my last Olympic outing,” said Chong Wei.
The group stage of the men’s singles starts a day after the opening ceremony but it is not certain whether top seed Chong Wei will get a day off. The draw will only be made on July 23.

Being the flag bearer is a singular honour usually accorded to the star athlete of a contingent. Chong Wei’s arch-rival Lin Dan will be carrying the flag for China as will Rafael Nadal for Spain.



THE STAR

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