Chef de Mission Lee Chong Wei said the online abuse aimed at Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying after suffering their second straight defeat in the mixed doubles competition at the Tokyo Olympics yesterday was “unforgivable”.
The 2016 Rio Olympic Games silver medallists were far from their best in the 21-12, 21-15 defeat to Germany’s Mark Lamfuss-Isabel Herttrich in a Group D encounter, which dashed their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage.
On Saturday, Peng Soon-Liu Ying lost 21-18, 10-21, 21-16 to Hong Kong’s Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet in the opening group tie.
“I am dismayed by the number of online comments abusing our badminton players. As a former teammate, I feel so much for them,” Chong Wei wrote on his official Instagram account.
“All I want to say is I know these players. They had only one goal — to win the game for the flag on their chest and make us proud.
“No athlete competes to lose. There are bound to be winners and losers.
“Sometimes, it’s just not your day. We get so anxious watching our players in front of the television. Can you imagine how they feel on court? Shouldn’t we be supporting them?
“These players brought you joy before. Don’t mock them and desert them when they lose.
“Support them, support Malaysia,” added Chong Wei.
Earlier, both Peng Soon and Liu Ying apologised for their defeat on their respective social media platforms, only to be met by abusive comments from local fans.
The Malaysians will see out their final group tie against World No 3, Wang Yi Lyu-Huang Dong Ping of China today.-NST