BWF has right to award 'wild card' entry to Chen Long - KJ

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has the right to award a wild card to Olympic champion Chen Long to participate in the World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland which will be held from Aug 21-27, says Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

He said the ministry respected the decision of the world body to award the ticket to the 28-year-old who had been world champion in 2014 and 2015.

The World Championships was not held last year to make way for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

"It is up to the BWF, should they award the wild card to Chen Long, that is their right. What''s for sure is, (our players) will face against any opponent," he told a press conference after witnessing the handing over of sponsorship by national oil company, Petronas, as the platinum sponsor of the 2017 Kuala Lumpur Games (SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games) here on Friday.

BWF, through a statement yesterday said it would award a wild card to Chen Long to participate in the World Championships after taking into account the player''s status as world and Olympic champion.

Chen Long missed out on an automatic berth to the World Championships based on the BWF world ranking on April 27, the deadline set to determine those who qualified for the annual tournament.

He came in ninth in the world ranking, the fourth among Chinese players, behind Shi Yuqi (fifth), Tian Houwei (seventh) and Lin Dan (eighth).

National badminton ace Datuk Lee Chong Wei, who is also the world number one, has already booked a slot in the competition on merit, along with others including the likes of Viktor Axelsen and Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark, and Son Wan Ho of South Korea. - BERNAMA