I once wrote a column here criticising a Telekom Malaysia advertisement which lauded Lee Chong Wei even though he lost to China’s Lin Dan in England. Chong Wei has since proven that he is as good as his rival and that he has an equal chance to win gold at the Olympics. More recently, even Hafiz Hashim beat him in Malaysia.  

This fact may establish that even very good players can loose on a ‘bad day’. For that matter, Lin Dan has never won the Malaysian Open and in fact did not even reach the semis at the last one.

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However, this column is not about Chong Wei ( right ) but about who will win the Olympics Team Gold. I read in the NST that Chong Wei has showed his team mates his “ wei ” (pun intended). I am not entirely sure what this word means in Chinese, but let me extrapolate my own theory about Chong’s way (again pun intended)!

As team captain, he told the team, as they go to Macau for the qualifying rounds, “go and fight to win, give it your best and all you got!” Now, that is what I call the ‘fighting spirit.’ That is the beginning of the war being won in the mind and then the translation of the journey in the heart. It is almost like Barack Obama’s, “Yes, we can!”

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Obama never knew that he could win; in fact few would have bet their lives to establish that a Black man can win the presidency of the United States. But he did. Why? Well the truth is that, in their history this long journey started with Abraham Lincoln, and was then translated by Martin Luther King Jr into a walk so that Obama could run in 2008.

But, if we study world history, it also becomes evident that even before US woke up to these ethnic issues they were being already argued and debated in the British Parliament. In fact, William Wilberforce may have taken about 14 years to push through the “anti-slavery legislation” even in the UK. It was very much later that the American woke up to the real effects in their own backyard!

Therefore, such battles within nation-states or large systems against embedded issues and concerns will inevitably take many years to come to fruition. In the Malaysian case, badminton is a national sport and Malaysians have demonstrated good capability in this sport over the years. But, the fact also is that Indonesia and China are larger countries and with a larger pool of talents, and therefore, they can produce a larger number of good and talented players on the global scene.  

Moreover, until present times, wherein ‘politics’ has been systemically reduced from sports, we have not been totally “merit-based” or “professional” in every area of sports development. For far too long, politicians were governing sports associations. Now, what do they really know about competitive professional sports?

Therefore, I would now like to laud and applaud Chong Wei’s advice and request the Malaysian badminton team for the Olympics, all players, coaches and managers, please keep your focus.  There is only one global competition when a team (not just individuals) can demonstrate that we are world champions, and that is the Olympics!  

Therefore, please realise the opportunity and remember we did not get there by ourselves, but with the foundation laid by the many past leaders and players, whether Tan Aik Mong or Punch Gunalan or Misbun Sidek.

It’s all about teams and teamwork

We need to recognise that, in modern sports, like in every other field today, global competition is about teams and teamwork. There are no single heroes, unlike the Lone Ranger movie of our time.

Moreover, he, too, was never alone. He had Tonto and his horse to always help! No man or woman is an island.

Therefore, dear Malaysian Team, please go out there representing our past generations of all types of people who have worked hard and given of themselves so that one day we can win the Olympics Gold medal in badminton. This is our best opportunity to date.

Chong’s way is right; it is the only way.

The truth is that we are now a fairly sophisticated nation in the game of badminton. We are second to none in quality of anything, whether facilities or the science of sport, or even money.  Therefore the only variable that makes the difference between winning andlosing is the “fighting spirit!” And a silver medal is not gold.

I just want to therefore caution our team. We did not have to fight for our independence. In fact, our greatest challenges we faced were within the nation. And once we agreed on the common agenda, independence came on a platter. Therefore, sometimes we lack this fighting spirit because the ‘support out there’ seems biased and may appear only ethnic-based, sometimes. That is no more true.  We are a truly Malaysian team and teamwork now.

Therefore, please go with the support of every Malaysian, including the extremists who shout blood and murder over everything; even they will support you. So, go in the fighting spirit, give your absolute best and please do not look back. We Malaysians are all with you.

May God bless our team to win the Olympic Gold medal.