By IANS,
Hyderabad : The Indian food has failed to tickle the taste buds of Malaysian badminton star Lee Chong Wei. On the contrary, when Chong Wei made a shock exit in the first round in the Indian Open in March, he blamed his loss to food poisoning due to the Indian food.
Five months down the line, Chong Wei has come better prepared. The Badminton Association of Malaysia’s (BAM) has provided him with two cooks, lest he again falls to food poisoning.
The Malaysian team is staying at an apartment near the venue, the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium. The cooks made a visit before the tournament to check out the facilities and kitchen utensils.
“Yes, we have brought two cooks from home. We do not want a repeat of the incident,” says Malaysian coach Misuben Sidek.
“He (Lee) has to be aware of these things. He cannot afford to take things for granted. Hopefully, he will not have to think about food this time.”
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Home support for Chinese players
Chinese have always been a dominant force in badminton. So, it comes as no surprise that the first group of spectators, flocking for tickets on the first day of the World Championship, were all Chinese.
A group of 10 Chinese students, who study in Osmania University here, loudly cheered for their star player – Lin Dan and later clicked pictures of the defending champion after he cleared his first round match against Misha Zilberman.
“We have taken out time to see Lin Dan play. He is a star back home and we did not want to miss this opportunity to see him in action,” said Wang Ming Yu. “It is sad that we cannot come here every day because we have our classes.”
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Security blanket
Strong security arrangement could be seen as the World Championships began here Monday.
After England team’s withdrawal from the competition, there is an increased police force cover manning the stadium gates and entry to the stands.
Sniffer dogs and screening machines were used at points. Spectators, media and officials were being frisked at multiple points.
There was also a strong presence of private security guards.
A senior police officer, however, said that they have not increased the deployment.
“The only difference is that from today onwards, security cover will be more visible to people because the tournament has started.”