Foul!

In an apparent bid to ease tension among Chinese nationals over the Flight MH370 saga, efforts are under way to organise an exhibition match involving two of the greatest badminton stars — world No 1 Lee Chong Wei and China’s Lin Dan. While details of the match between the Malaysian selection and China remain sketchy, the Youth and Sports Ministry has been informed about the initiative. Lee, who is currently in New Delhi for the India Open, was supportive of the cause. “If it can help strengthen the relationship between China and Malaysia, then it’s good … (I would do) anything to help,” said Lee. It is believed the initiative is a private effort and does not involve the Badminton Association of Malaysia. Lee and Lin Dan are household names in both countries. While arch-nemesis on the court, both shuttlers are good friends on the sidelines and have played in many exhibition matches, mainly for charity, in the past. As Malaysia and China gear to cele...

National Sports Institute (NSI) chief executive officer Dr Ramlan Aziz stressed the cramps suffered by world No. 1 shuttler Lee Chong Wei was a genuine case due to the lack of ventilation at the Tianhe Sports Center in Guangzhou, China. The air-conditioning in the hall was switched off during the second set in the World Championships men’s singles final between host player Lin Dan and Lee. Lee, who had won 21-16 in the first set before going down 21-12 in the second set, was trailing 20-17 before calling it quits. Lee had to stop play earlier and was attended to by the tournament doctor. He, however, continued to play only to retire due to cramps. Later he was rushed to the hospital and was put on intravenous drips. Lee was discharged late Sunday night. “I cannot understand when people say it was another drama. No it wasn’t,” said Dr Ramlan. Read more in The Malay Mail today. HD says: Only in sports, where your 'opponent' will run to you and give you a helping hand.

No Lin Dan. No Chen Jin. Only Korea Open losing finalist Du Pengyu is the top most shuttler to feature for China in the Malaysia Open which starts today. World No 1 Lee Chong Wei should have minimal problems netting his ninth title this time around. Liew Daren, meanwhile, has been given a second chance to redeem himself after the BA of Malaysia (BAM) agreed to field him for this year's competition. A whole lot of Malaysian players will see action in the qualifiers today but it remains to be seen if any of them will make the cut in the main draw. And would this year's Malaysia Open be like any other - a predictable script with expected results? Let's hope for some twist in the story line as the tournament progresses. HD says: All the best to the Malaysian contingent.  

Congratulations to national shuttler Liew Daren ( pic from BWF ) who finally netted his first international at the French Open over the weekend. Daren defeated Danish player Viktor Axelsen 21-18, 21-17 in the men's singles final. So what is next for Daren? To immediately expect Daren to fill the shoes of top national player Lee Chong Wei is somewhat foolish. After all, this is only the beginning and consistency is key. Nevertheless, NST's Ajitpal Singh had this to say; Although none of the top five ranked shuttlers were in Paris, Daren's achievement should not be written off as a fluke as he did beat several other established players for the title. Read his full article here . True and it is only fair for the stakeholders and fans to motivate him further to gun more honours. After all, Peter Gade's retirement not too long ago may ignite a domino effect among the other 'aging' stars including Taufik Hidayat, Chong Wei, Lin Dan. With their absenc...

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....

Kegagalan. That was the word used by former Mailsport journo Rizal Hashim during a phoner with Sukan Awani Ekstra on Astro Awani (ch 501) yesterday. I was a guest on the said show as we discussed about Malaysia's performance at the 2012 Summer Games. Rizal had plenty to say about the powers-that-be, mainly the Sports Ministry and the National Sports Council to which I refrained from commenting and to only react by saying; "Ouch". The Road to London 2012 programme - initiated by former Sports Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob - had the 'objective' of ending the gold medal drought. It was not meant to be but some insist the RM20 million programme has "reaped its benefits" as reported here . Some may say Azizulhasni Awang failed to rise to the occasion but I know national cycling coach John Beasley would be happy with Azizulhasni's performance, given the fact that Azizulhasni bounced back from several setbacks prior the Olympics. Also, the succes...

IT was 79 minutes that kept fans at the edge of their seats. Malaysians were all hoping for a fairy tale ending – the perfect gift to celebrate the nation’s 55th birthday and to end the Olympic gold medal drought. It was supposed to be a picture of jubilation where top national shuttler Lee Chong Wei was to kiss the Jalur Gemilang on his track top as he held the gold medal with pride. The Negaraku was supposed to echo within the walls of the Wembley Arena, at an Olympic event for the first time. But it was not meant to be. Instead, it was déjà vu for badminton lovers. History repeated itself in a cruel manner as the same pictures that splashed the local dailies in 2008 Beijing will be seen again tomorrow – the picture of Lin Dan biting the gold medal with Chong Wei playing bridesmaid with the silver medal around his neck. The third placed is dominated by the Chens – at the 2008 Beijing Olympics it was Chen Jin and at the London edition it was Chen Long. Desp...

Remember this picture? It was back the podium winners of the 2008 Beijing Olympics which saw the likes of China's Lin Dan taking on our national shuttler Lee Chong Wei in the final. A more muscular Lin Dan had then tamed Chong Wei easily to win the gold medal on home soil. It was a match that stunned many and left Chong Wei in disbelief. Chong Wei lost 21-12, 21-8 in that match. Despite the defeat, Chong Wei returned as a hero and received a Datuk-ship. He then revealed his thoughts of the defeat on Astro Supersport as seen here and here . The national shuttlers have enjoyed podium finishes at the previous Summer Games. First introduced at the 1992 Barcelona Games, Razip and Jalani Sidek netted the bronze medal in that edition while younger brother Rashid Sidek also managed the bronze medal at the Atlanta Games four years later. It was also at the Atlanta Games that saw Yap Kim Hock and Cheah Soon Kit win the silver medal, a feat achieved by Chong Wei 12 years later. ...

It was a perfect start to the New Year. World No 1 Lee Chong Wei unleashed the Dragon in him to edge arch rival Lin Dan of China 12-21, 21-18, 21-14 in the Korea Open men's singles final hours ago. That's a good start for the Penangite as he now gears up for another possible mouth watering clash with Lin Dan in the Maybank Malaysia Open which starts on Tuesday. Had Chong Wei lost in Seoul, I'm sure many would have raised the presumption that he desperately needs the services of former coach Misbun Sidek. Now that he has won abroad, would the same critics say that Tay Seu Bock and Rashid Sidek still aren't good enough? Food for thought. HD says: Winning the Malaysia Open would be a treat for Chong Wei ahead of the Chinese New Year.

Here's the season to be jolly.... Foul! would like to wish each and every one of you a Happy, Merry, Gong-Xi Christmas! And here's an Xmas treat by badminton aces Lee Chong Wei, Lin Dan, Peter Gade and Taufik Hidayat. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RiXL7TmyDo

UPDATE: Olympic badminton champion Lin Dan had an ideal preparation for his title defence when he won his fourth world title on Sunday in the Wembley arena to be used for the 2012 Games. Read more here . ---- Who will win the World Championships in London later today? World No 1 Lee Chong Wei hungers for the title - a title that would finally justify his world ranking. Lin Dan , meanwhile, has won it all. It boils down to pride and ego. So who would you bet on? Catch the match live on Astro. HD says: Chong Wei could finally net the world title.