Smile!: Viktor Axelsen taking a wefie with his fans. The Dane raked in a total of US$645,095 (RM2.99mil) after dominating the World Tour last year.
PETALING JAYA: Raise the stakes higher to make badminton spread like fire.
Increasing the prize money is one of the changes that Datuk Lee Chong Wei hopes to see to guarantee a better future for the sport that he loves.
Last week, the World Badminton Federation (BWF) announced the earnings of the players in 2023 and their top singles player Viktor Axelsen raked in a total of US$645,095 (RM2.99mil) after dominating the World Tour.
But according to Chong Wei, a golfer or a tennis player can win the same amount in one single tournament.
In fact, in the upcoming Malaysian Open starting on Tuesday at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil, a singles champion will earn US$91,000 (RM423,500) and doubles winners will get US$96,200 (RM446,700).
In comparison, an early round loser at the upcoming Australian Tennis Open will get A$120,000 (RM373,200) – close to a champion’s earnings in the home tournament.
Probably, it’s unfair to compare as the profile of tennis is way ahead of badminton but Chong Wei hopes to head into the right direction.
“There are many countries that still do not play this sport. It’s time for us to push for badminton to be more widely spread,” said Chong Wei, who is one of the four main ambassadors of the sport under the Legends’ Vision.
The other spokespersons for the sport are Lin Dan of China, Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia and Peter Gade of Denmark.
“I’m retired but I still want the future generation to benefit from this sport. We have to keep the interest and popularity of this sport alive and one of the ways is to make these events lucrative,” he said.
“I would like to suggest to offer RM2mil prize money for winners for a start.”
Meanwhile, Chong Wei hopes the long wait for a home champion will end next week.
The 41-year-old has won the Malaysian Open 12 times and in fact, there has not been any winners at home since his last feat in 2018.
He has called for the local players to bring cheers to the home fans.
“It’s never easy to play at home but we should not disappoint our home fans who would have bought tickets months ahead to catch their stars in action,” said Chong Wei.
“Previously, my preparation for the Malaysian Open was different from the other events. I always wanted to do well in front of our fans and I was always motivated to set records.”
He is hoping for Ng Tze Yong, Lee Zii Jia and the men’s pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik to deliver. Others with potential to make it good are Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi (men’s doubles), Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah (women’s doubles), and Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei (mixed doubles).
