Lin Dan a bigger threat in the Olympics compared to others - Chong Wei

World number one Datuk Lee Chong Wei who has emerged as the main contender for the gold medal in the Olympics, feels his arch rival and nemesis Lin Dan from China would be his biggest hurdle.

Lin Dan needs no introduction to Chong Wei since the former was the main reason for Chong Wei to end up with two silver medals in the Olympics, first in 2008 when Beijing hosted the Olympics and again in 2012 when London played host, both times losing to the Chinese opponent.

"Both Lin Dan and Chen Long will be a serious threat in Rio but to me, Lin Dan is a bigger threat than Chen Long, especially at major competitions. They may have lost in Premier Super Series tournaments but they can rise to the occasion at major events.

"Losing in a Super Series competition is not a major concern because there is always another Super Series around the corner but since the Olympics comes only once in four years, the physical and mental ability of an athlete takes over," he told reporters after a training session, here today.

"We cannot overlook the dangers posed by players like Jan O Jorgensen and Viktor Axelsen from Denmark, Srikanth Kidambi (India), Tommy Sugiarto (Indonesia) and others from Europe, Asia and Hong Kong. We need to be very focused when competing in the Olympics.

"What is important now is to prepare physically and mentally for the next two months. I will follow the training programme prepared by coaches Hendrawan and Tey Seu Bock," said the 33-year-old two-time Olympic medal winner.

Chong Wei hoped the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) and coaches would resolve the issue of the number of sparring partners allowed to accompany the badminton team to Rio.

Earlier, BAM Technical director Morten Frost Hansen said the number of sparring partners accompanying Chong Wei to Rio has yet to be decided.

"It depends on the number of passes and daily passes they (organisers) will provide us. No point bringing eight people if we got three daily passes, where five have to stay out.

"For now, we know that the training will start on July 24, there will be eight courts and obviously will have allocations for each participating nation," said Frost.

When asked if Chong Wei would participate in the Taiwan Open from June 28 to July 3, the former Denmark ace said a decision would be made after discussions with his two coaches.

However, based on statistics and initial calculations, Chong Wei would remain the world number one until the Olympics even if he skipped the Taiwan Open.