Foul!

As the Olympics finally came to an end, here are some of the most memorable and not so memorable quotes from the Games. “I tried really hard and am sorry not to have won. I played better than I did in Beijing or the World Championships but it seems that I’m destined to play bridesmaid to Lin Dan." - Lee Chong Wei after losing to Lin Dan in the badminton men's singles final. "I'm sorry about that video, I know nothing about that song too, I am here to say sorry to every one, hopefully Chinese fans can forgive this." - Lee Chong Wei on Namewee's video clip which was insulting Lin Dan. "LIN DAN wins. He played better than Lee Chong AWAY." - Kota Alam Shah assemblyman M. Manoharan after Chong Wei lost in the final. "I deeply regret the comments I have made and tender my heartfelt apologies to Datuk Lee Chong Wei and his family." - Kota Alam Shah assemblyman M. Manoharan after receiving flak for his earlier comments....

It wasn't the start the national contingent had hoped for. Despite all the pomp and fare, national shooter Nur Suryani Taibi failed to qualify for the 10m women's air rifle event. But she treasures the experience as seen here . Mixed doubles pair Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying lost 12-21, 21-6, 15-21 to Taiwanese duo Chen HL-Cheng WH in their first group match. Earlier,  women's singles shuttler Tee Ying Ji put up a gritty display before losing 16-21, 21-15, 21-12 to South Korean Bae Yeon-Ju in a Group B match. The archery team failed to make the cut while national cyclists Amir Mustafa Rusli and Adiq Husainie Othman failed to complete (DNF) the men's road race event. On the bright side, men's doubles duo of Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong managed a 21-12, 21-14 win over Naoki Kawamae-Shoji Sato of Japan in a group match. That pretty much sums up Day 1 for the Malaysian contingent at the Summer Games. Here's hoping for good news in days to come. As for t...

The badminton draw for the London Olympics is out as seen here . Top national shuttler Lee Chong Wei ( pic ), who is said to be the nation's best hope to net the elusive Olympic gold medal, could face China's Chen Long in the semi finals. NST calls it an Acid test , Harian Metro reads Laluan getir Chong Wei while The Star says Chen Long hurdle for Chong Wei . Men's doubles pair Koo Kean Keat and Tan Boon Heong were placed in a rather tough draw. However, Sports Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek was more optimistic judging by Bernama's report. Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said the mission to win the country's first Olympic gold medal for badminton seemed promising as the national ace had an easy path in the round robin format. "Playing in the round robin format will be a warm up exercise for Chong Wei and I hope that will help him to gain the rhythm for the real game. "It is also an advantage for Koo/Tan when they wer...

Article and pictures courtesy of Olympic Council of Malaysia. LONDON : A tiny corner of England was transformed into “Little Malaysia” on Sunday morning when the Olympic Council of Malaysia’s delegation to the London Olympic Games was officially welcomed into the Olympic Village. In a joint ceremony with the Mongolian National Olympic Committee, the Malaysian athletes and officials were welcomed into the Village by Sir Charles Allen, CBE, Olympic Village Mayor, under bright blue skies and in sparkling summer sunshine. Following the ceremony, performed by the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain, the Malaysians and their guests visited the offices of the Olympic Council of Malaysia and enjoyed a photo short on the lush green lawn at the back of the office. Talking about the ceremony, Malaysia’s Chef de Mission, Tun Ahmad Sarji (pic below) , said: “It was exquisite, very colourful and somehow, in a very light manner, instilling the Olympic spirit. It was well-orchestrated. I a...

It has been a rather interesting journey leading to the up-coming London Olympics. As our athletes leave the country in batches for the Summer Games, some of them could return as national heroes. However, it has been an interesting and painful journey for some of the athletes thus far. Top national shuttler Lee Chong Wei injured his ankle and has yet to fully recover but is still touted by officials as being the best bet to net the nation's elusive Olympic gold medal. Azizulhasni Awang is eager to steal the thunder in the cycling event, having laid rather low as he trained diligently in Melbourne . Then we have shooter Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi who is already making headlines worldwide despite having yet to step foot in London as she is eight months pregnant. There are youngsters in the form of Pandelela Rinong who are eager to give it a shot while there are the "experienced few" including cyclist Josiah Ng and shuttlers Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong ...

THE incentives keep pouring in. As the national athletes gear up for the coming London Olympics, KL Racquets Club (KLRC) president and gold mine tycoon Datuk Seri Andrew Kam offered an RM2 million gold bar to the shuttler that returns with the elusive Olympic gold medal. This in addition to the string of incentives which has been offered by the government and a private company to the athlete who wins the nation's first Olympic gold medal. Among those who attended the Press Conference organised by KLRC at a leading hotel in KL yesterday included Olympic Council of Malaysia secretary Datuk Sieh Kok Chi, World No 2 Lee Chong Wei, doubles pair Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong, former shuttler Razif Sidek and former BA of Malaysia president Tan Sri Elyas Omar. Kok Chi, had earlier in his speech, maintained the national shuttlers remain as the best bet for winning the Olympics - this despite Chong Wei admitting he is not fully fit for the Summer Games. "The badminton playe...

UPDATE July 10:   As reported in The Star . Twenty-seven out of the 30 Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) council members have won a free round-trip to London to support the shuttlers at the Olympic Games from the quarter-final stage onwards.  Three of them have declined the trip. ----- Some 30 Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) council members will be heading to the London Olympics to lend their "support". This will certainly receive flak as the same money spent on these "supporters" could be better invested on BAM's development programme. For the record there will only be six shuttlers - Lee Chong Wei, Koo Kien Keat, Tan Boon Heong, Chan Peng Soon, Goh Liu Ying and Tee Jing Yee - who will represent the country in London. Nevertheless, BAM secretary Ng Chin Chai ( pic ) defended of the trip adding the national body was "transparent about the whole matter." "We're not hiding anything and we're being transparent...

UPDATED 4.08pm: National squash player Azlan Iskandar defends his fellow athletes on twitter. It read: 1" That's why sport in england is dying..google how much the cycling team is being funded n that will give an indication on how much the gov is spending...FYI.. ." 2 "@ HareshDeol and with their current state of their economy it isn't their priority.Great time for malaysian sports to push hard n catch up!" ---- The sprinter has just completed his most successful season after four years of injury but has not received a single reply to the thousands of sponsorship emails he sent. The 26-year-old, who ran the second-fastest 200 metres by a British athlete and represented Great Britain at the World Athletics Championships, has turned to eBay to get the backing he says is needed to take him to the next level. That is the story of top UK athlete James Ellington ( pic ), as published in the major UK dailies including Metro.co.uk. In Malaysia, athlet...