KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Ng Boon Bee, a triple international who played badminton, football and rugby for the country, died from an aneurysm today in Ipoh. He was 84.
Boon Bee, known for his speed, power and anticipation, was regarded as one of the best men's doubles players in his heyday.
"Just received news that another badminton icon, Datuk Ng Boon Bee, has passed away. My deepest condolences to his family," BA of Malaysia (BAM) secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh tweeted today.
The Ipoh-born and Tan Yee Khan were the most successful pair in the 1960s, dominating the doubles game for almost a decade with victories at the All England, Asian Championships, Asian Games and the SEAP Games.
Boon Bee, a student of St Michael's Institution in Ipoh, was part of the national squad that won the 1967 Thomas Cup in a controversial manner at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta.
Boon Bee-Yee Khan played Indonesia's Muljadi-Agus Susanto in the fifth match when fans at the Istora Senayan turned unruly.
The International Badminton Federation decided to call off the final. Indonesia refused to play at a neutral venue, and the tie was awarded to Malaysia with a 6-3 win.
Following Yee Khan's retirement, Boon Bee forged a new partnership with the late Datuk Punch Gunalan. The pair went on to win titles at the 1970 Bangkok Asian Games, 1970 Edinburgh Commonwealth Games and the 1971 Kuala Lumpur SEAP Games.
Boon Bee-Gunalan also won the doubles silver at the 1972 Munich Olympics when badminton was a demonstration sport.
As a footballer, he played as an inside-left (forward) for Harimau Malaya in the Merdeka Tournament, winning it in 1958, 1959 and 1960 (joint champions with South Korea). Among his teammates were the late Datuk Ghani Minhat, Rahim Omar and V. Govindarajoo.
After Boon Bee scored a few goals at the 1958 Merdeka Tournament, the then prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, gave him a gold watch for his exploits.
In 1959, he was selected for the inaugural Asian Youth Championship and among his teammates were Abdullah Nordin, Robert Choe and Roslan Buang. The team lost to Korea in the final.
Boon Bee quit football after a meeting with the then BAM president Tan Sri Khir Johari, who wanted him to concentrate on badminton.
Realising that he would never go beyond Asian standards in football, he picked badminton as he had the ambition to win the All England and other overseas tournaments.
He went on to represent Malaysia in badminton until 1973. He was inducted into the Badminton Hall of Fame in 1998.
He is survived by his wife, Tong Yee Cheng, 85, and a daughter, Gillian, 51. His son Thomas died last year.
A three-day wake will be held at his residence from tomorrow at 61A, Jalan Sri Klebang 2, Chemor. The funeral will be held at the Nirvana Memorial Park on Sunday.