Malaysian badminton player threatened with knife attack online over performance
Several shuttlers in Malaysia have faced online abuse after their early exits in major tournaments
The 30-year-old shuttler posted on social media that he had received online messages abusing him and threatening physical harm after he and his men’s doubles partner, Teo Ee Yi, crashed out in the first round of the Indonesia Masters on Tuesday.
“I will bring a knife and injure Ee Yi’s hand, forcing you to either change partners or retire,” one message read, according to a New Straits Times newspaper report on Wednesday.
The online haters took issue with the duo’s recent poor performances in the international arena.
Ong and Teo lost 18-21, 15-21 to Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan in Tuesday’s match. The loss was the third early exit in a row for the world No 34 pair, having also been defeated in the first rounds of the recent Malaysia Open and India Open.
“Are you still taking part in the Indonesia Masters? ... Looking at your last two matches, you were first beaten by veterans in an upset, then lost to an unknown new pairing,” read the message Ong shared.