Leong Jun Hao, who featured as Malaysia’s first singles player in the recent Thomas Cup, has been issued a final warning by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) to improve his discipline or risk being dropped from the national squad.
BAM Performance Committee chairman Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei said he met the world No. 25 player shortly after the Thomas Cup campaign in Horsens, Denmark, to discuss his career direction.
According to Chong Wei, Jun Hao has been facing disciplinary issues, including missing training sessions and failing to maintain full focus during practice.
The situation, he said, has contributed to the 27-year-old’s inconsistent performances across several international tournaments this season.
“After the Thomas Cup, I met with Jun Hao. We discussed his future. He has discipline problems and I have already given him a final warning,” said Chong Wei.
“If he repeats the same discipline problems, we will not give him any more chances.”
The former world No. 1 revealed that national singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen had previously recommended that Jun Hao be dropped from the national setup.
However, Chong Wei said he is still willing to give the former Asian junior champion one last opportunity to prove himself.
“His issue is that he does not focus during training. Sometimes he does not turn up. If he misses training due to injury, I can accept that,” he said.
“But if it is a discipline problem and he deliberately skips training, there is simply no excuse.”
“I have told him, if I hear again that he has not come to training, he can pack his bags and leave. I will not need to write a letter.”
Jun Hao endured a difficult Thomas Cup campaign, losing all three matches, and has also struggled on the World Tour, failing to progress past the opening rounds in all five tournaments this season.
However, he will have an opportunity to redeem himself at the Malaysia Masters beginning Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Chong Wei acknowledged that BAM is currently dealing with multiple disciplinary issues involving players, adding that each case will be handled individually.
“I know BAM has many discipline problems right now. I need to resolve them one by one,” he said.
“If an athlete has no discipline, they will simply not go far.”
