Chong Wei considering offers to play in China’s pro league
News 9:48 AM
BEIJING: Malaysia’s top men’s singles player Lee Chong Wei has received invitations from several clubs to play in the revived China’s Professional Badminton League.
The world No. 1 said he was considering the offers and that he would prefer to join the Guangzhou club if he were to play in the league.
“It’s hard for me to say which club I will join, but it will be most likely the Guangzhou team because I have more fans there,” he told Xinhua news agency during the on-going Hong Kong Open on Friday.
“I would love to come to China to play in the league as this will help me develop as a player.”
Chong Wei said it would be great for him to play against the top players in the league and earn some extra money apart from his usual matches on the BWF circuit.
However, he said he was still unsure when he would join the league as he had to play in many major competitions such as the Asian Games, World Championships, Thomas Cup and Commonwealth Games.
On the difference between him and Lin Dan, Chong Wei said they were both equal in terms of technical abilities and the only difference was the training environment in Malaysia.
“Back home, I have no quality sparring partners. Only Hafiz Hashim and I are representing Malaysia in the men’s singles. We even train under different coaches, so I can only depend on myself to improve my game,” he said.
China revived its professional league to further promote the sport and encourage more exchange of knowledge among the top players in China and the world. The clubs will play in the classification rounds at the end of the year and the league will start in May.
Only the top eight players in the BWF’s world rankings are eligible to play in the league.
Posted by Lucas Liau
on 9:48 AM.
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