KUALA LUMPUR: Former world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei has urged Malaysian shuttlers bound for the Paris Olympics in July to focus on their mental game.
Describing it as the hallowed ground of sports, Chong Wei said recent results should not demoralise or overly affect the Malaysian camp.
Instead, the three-time silver medallist advised players to stay sharp and not let overwhelming emotions get into their heads.
"With less than 50 days to go before the Olympics, players don't learn new tricks or tactics; it's all about mental preparation now. Looking at our players and how they performed in recent tournaments, some did well, some didn't.
"But does it matter much? Will it guarantee them the gold medal at the Olympics if they won the recent Indonesia Open?"
"The Olympics are different from any other tournament.
"As a former athlete, I can tell you that it feels completely different when you step foot in that Olympic village, where the first thing you see are the five-coloured rings.
"It is the highest glory. As such, you need to be ready, not just physically but mentally," Chong Wei told Timesport on Sunday.
With three silver medals from four appearances, the 42-year-old remains the country's most decorated Olympian.Chong Wei, who sits on the Road to Gold (RTG) committee, will serve as the team manager for the Malaysian badminton squad in Paris.
Recounting his personal experience, Chong Wei said: "Three finals, three silver medals, surely I regret it all the time because I never got to win that elusive gold.
"But what I'm proud of is the fact that I reached three finals consistently. Only I know how challenging it was to achieve that," added Chong Wei, who lost twice to China's Lin Dan at the 2008 Beijing Games and 2012 London Games, and once to his compatriot Chen Long at the 2016 Rio Games.
Malaysia's Olympic challenge in badminton this year rests on the shoulders of men's singles star Lee Zii Jia, former men's doubles world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, two-time former world junior champion Goh Jin Wei, Malaysia's No. 1 women's doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah and mixed doubles duo Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei.