Still not fully fit

Lee Chong Wei (right) and coach Tey Seu Bock at Damansara Specialist Centre recently. Pic by Yazit Razali

LEE Chong Wei's shoulder injury is not serious but the shuttler can forget about making a speedy return to competitive badminton as he requires three to five weeks to recover.
National Sports Institute (NSI) chief executive officer Datuk Dr Ramlan Abdul Aziz, in confirming the recovery period, stressed  that Chong Wei would not be fully fit to play in  tournaments during this period.

This puts the World No 1's participation in the mega-bucks  Axiata Cup in doubt.

The preliminary round -- in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta -- is this weekend while the home and away semi-finals will be held on March 30-April 1 and the final on April 13-15.

"Normally, this kind of an injury is associated with another injury but fortunately, it didn't happen to Chong Wei," said Dr Ramlan.

"Treatment started last week but he still feels pain which is due to  spasms caused by the tightness of the shoulder muscles. Chong Wei doesn't need to undergo an operation as the current treatment will help heal the shoulder completely.

"He will not be fully fit for competition by next week although he would have completed three weeks of treatment. We will evaluate him weekly and will discuss with the coach (Tey Seu Bock) before deciding whether he can compete.

"Whatever we do, we will ensure it doesn't supercede our goal in the London Olympics."

Seu Bock said Chong Wei is definitely out of the Axiata Cup (which offers RM1.2 million for the champions) preliminary round and a decision will be made next week on his involvement in the semi-finals.

"He is out of the competition this week. If he is fully recovered by next week, why not? If he is ready to play, he can compete in the Axiata Cup," said Seu Bock.
Courtesy of New Straits Times