Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia’s badminton legend, Lee Chong Wei has withdrawn from the Malaysia Open that will take place at the Axiata Arena, from April 2 to April 7 in Kuala Lumpur.
In a statement released by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), it said that the 12th-time champion needed more time to recover fully from his early-stage nose cancer treatment. On the other hand, BAM also brought badminton fans an exciting news that, Lee Chong Wei’s doctor has given the former World No. 1 the green light for returning to competitive badminton.
Here’s the official statement from BAM about Lee Chong Wei’s participation at the 2019 Malaysia Open:
“Following his routine check-up in Taiwan, we are pleased to inform that Datuk Lee Chong Wei has been given a clean bill of health and his recovery process is progressing well.
However, in order not to put his body under undue stress, Chong Wei has been advised to withdraw from the upcoming Celcom Axiata Malaysia Open 2019. BAM’s priorities remain focused solely on Chong Wei’s health and will continue to offer the 37-year-old unwavering support. We also urge everyone to give him the space and time required for his recovery.”
When speaking to Malaysian media last week, president of the BAM, Norza Zakaria had hinted that Lee would likely to postpone his comeback by skipping the Malaysia Open. Zakaria also indicated that Lee would most likely make his comeback at the Sudirman Cup mixed-team event that will be hosted in Nanning, China, between May 19 and 26 May 2019.
BadmintonPlanet would like to let Lee Chong Wei know that as long as he is safe and healthy, we are willing to wait for him.