THE appointment of Datuk Lee Chong Wei as the Chef-de-Mission to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was just reward for one of Malaysia’s most successful athletes.
It also made me recall a story that I was told by the late Datuk Ho Koh Chye, another successful Malaysian athlete and sports administrator.
In August 2008, Datuk Ho was also the Malaysian Chef-de-Mission to the Beijing Olympics.
I was in several discussions with him at that time on matters relating to field hockey development.
Indeed, I cherished those meetings because he would always have an anecdote or two from which much could be learnt.
On one occasion, before his death in Dec 2008, he recounted this incident about Chong Wei.
Apparently during the Olympics in Beijing, Chong Wei would take a bus, which connected his accommodation to the arena where the badminton matches were played. That was his routine. Take the bus to the match. Play his opponent and return to his accommodation, also by bus, and, prepare for the next match.
The late Ho, as Chef-de-Mission, had a different routine. He visited many of the different sports arenas and stadiums where Malaysians athletes were performing.
On some days, he was visiting several arenas within a short space of time. To transport himself from one place to another, Ho was assigned a chauffeur-driven Mercedes Benz by the Beijing Olympic Games organisers.
After Chong Wei reached the badminton gold medal match of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Ho recounted to me that he visited Chong Wei and offered the use of the Mercedes Benz provided for the Chef-de-Mission to transport our Olympic finalist to the arena for the game against the formidable local hero, Lin Dan.
It was a small gesture of recognition from one senior elite athlete to another younger, upcoming world champion. To his absolute surprise, Chong Wei politely turned him down.
His routine was to take the bus and there was no need to change that and in doing so, inconvenience an elderly, respected sportsman who was also the Chef-de-Mission.
Ho told me that even though Malaysia did not win the badminton singles gold medal that year, his report on Chong Wei to the Malaysian sports administrators, on his return, singled-out our badminton star for outstanding attitude and a very bright future. The rest, as is said, is history.
In October 2018, I had reason to recall this story. I am a Manchester United fan and I read a report that before the United English Premier League game against Burnley at Turf Moor, Jose Mourinho, the Manchester United Team Manager, had an unusual request from Paul Pogba, his celebrated World Cup winning French midfielder.
It is reported that Pogba asked Mourinho if he could travel back to Manchester from the away match in his chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce (instead of the team bus, with his teammates). The media report disclosed that Mourinho turned down this request.
After the game, apparently, Pogba repeated his request and as United had won the game, Mourinho conceded, with one condition — Pogba was to start the return journey on the team bus with his teammates and 10 minutes after their departure from Turf Moor, could alight the team bus and make his own way back in his chauffeur Rolls Royce.
On the one hand, an offer to ride in a Mercedes Benz politely turned down and on the other, a persistent request to travel in a Rolls Royce!
We are not here to judge the “super-stars” of their respective sports. Their performances and achievements on the field or court or the road or the pool or arena ultimately define their greatness.
But if there was a gold medal for talent, determination, attitude, courage, humility and service to a nation, I would like to think that Chong Wei would have been a gold medalist and world champion several times.
As it was once said, “is not that you win that only matters, it is how you win that matters more”.
Congratulations Datuk Lee Chong Wei on your appointment as Malaysian Chef-de-Mission to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Dr Kenneth Pereira
Kuala Lumpur