KUALA LUMPUR: Former world No 1 Lee Chong Wei is perplexed by Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat's negative comments after the Malaysian was inducted into badminton's Hall of Fame.
Chong Wei and two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan of China were inducted in a ceremony here last month.
The 41-year-old Chong Wei said the Badminton World Federation (BWF) picked him as an inductee.
"I had nothing to do with it. Taufik should contact BWF for clarification," said Chong Wei, a three-time Olympic silver medallist.
"I did not pressure BWF to induct my name into the Hall of Fame. I was not aware of it until BWF sent me a letter.
"I don't know whether Taufik is unhappy or angry after he was not picked. He has not spoken to me about it.
"I don't understand why he is attacking me.
Taufiq, in an Indonesian television programme, questioned BWF's rationale in inducting Chong Wei into the Hall of Fame.
The Indonesian said Lin Dan deserved the accolade but claimed Chong Wei was inducted because the BWF office was in Kuala Lumpur.
"In a competition, the champion is not someone who is the most consistent as the number one," said Taufiq in the interview.
"Who will be you pick? A shuttler who has won 10 silver medals or the one who won gold once?
Taufik was slammed by Malaysia fans for his outburst.
Taufiq, who won the 2004 Athens Olympic gold medal and the 2005 World Championships, fired back via his Twitter account, questioning if Chong Wei had won the Sea Games, World Championship or the Olympics.
For the record, Chong Wei won Olympic silver medals at the 2008 Beijing, 2012 London and 2016 Rio editions.
He was runner-up in three World Championships in 2011, 2013 and 2015.
Chong Wei is considered as the King of the Badminton Super Series, with 69 overall titles throughout his senior career. He also holds the record of being ranked No. 1 for 349 weeks.
Chong Wei hung up his racquet in 2019 after battling nose cancer.