A few days ago, the Malaysian media reported that Li Zongwei, a legendary figure in Malaysian badminton, is expected to transform into a coach and has received invitations from overseas. Malaysian netizens and fans said that if Li Zongwei wants to be a coach, he hopes that he can stay in Malaysia, coach his home team, and lead his descendants to continue to attack the world championship of Malaysian badminton and even the olympic gold medal dream. However, just today, when Li Zongwei was interviewed by the media, he personally refuted the rumor that he had no intention of becoming a coach and would continue to stay in Malaysia.
As the greatest men's singles player in the history of Malaysian badminton, Li Zongwei has created a lot of Malaysian badminton history, including three times in the Olympic Men's Singles Final, and won three runners-up, and has also entered the final many times at the World Championships, but unfortunately the final is a fraction of a millimeter with the world champion. But the achievements and status he has created in the world badminton world are difficult for many professional players to reach, so in Malaysia, Li Zongwei is treated as a national hero and is officially awarded the title of "Datuk".
In 2019, Li Zongwei made the decision to retire after experiencing cancer and other injuries, officially ending his 19-year career. After retiring, Li Zongwei has not been far from badminton, has been paying attention to the development of badminton in Malaysia, and giving professional guidance to the younger generations of teachers and sisters. Originally, at the Tokyo Olympics, Lee Zongwei planned to lead the team as the head of the Malaysian delegation, but due to health reasons, he was unable to make the trip.
With the great changes that Malaysian badminton has encountered in the past six months, including the new brother of men's singles Li Zijia and others, they have withdrawn from the national team and continued to compete in professional competitions as free men, once incompatible with the Malaysian badminton team. Fortunately, the subsequent parties were able to communicate frankly and reached an agreement to support the top players to compete in international competitions as free agents, and Malaysian officials will also provide convenience and support. At the critical moment, Li Zongwei was heard to be transformed into a coach, it is not surprising, after all, Malaysia needs strong coaches to supplement today, and Li Zongwei, as a Malaysian legend, definitely has this ability.
However, while it was rumored that Li Zongwei was appointed as a coach, it was also rumored that he might go overseas to coach, especially the Singapore Badminton Association recently announced that it would announce the singles head coach candidate, which triggered speculation from the outside world. For all kinds of rumors, Li Zongwei said in a recent interview with Malaysia's "All Sports Network" that he did receive an invitation from overseas, but he did not have the idea of going abroad for the time being, and he did not have the idea of being a coach for the time being, and he hoped to spend more time with his family at the moment.