FORMER national badminton ace Lee Chong Wei said that he was not ready to accept the offer of becoming the national squad coach in the near future.

He said he wanted to spend time with his family and on charity work.

“The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) made an offer but for the time being, I want to spend time with my family. I want to focus on what charity work I can do in this one year and becoming the chef de mission (CDM) to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games,” he said.

He said this after a meet-and-greet session at the Datuk Wira Lee Chong Wei Badminton Academy in Ipoh today.

“I have still a lot to learn to become a CDM. Before, I was an athlete but now, I am an official and I have to look at other athletes other than in the sport of badminton,” he said.

On June 13, Chong Wei, a former world No. 1 player, announced his retirement after 19 years of bringing glory to the country on the international stage and carving a name for himself among the world’s most respected champions.

Among his achievements are winning an Olympic silver medal three times, namely, in Beijing in 2008, London (2012) and Rio de Janeiro (2016).

The last time Chong Wei won a championship was at the 2018 Malaysian Open championship, the 12th of his career. – Bernama, August 17, 2019.