Lee to seek cancer all-clear

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian badminton great Lee Chong Wei is to seek the all-clear from his doctors in Taiwan after his treatment for nose cancer, and probably won’t be back on the courts until next month, reports said Monday.

Despite earlier comments from Malaysia’s badminton chief that Lee’s return to the training courts was imminent, the 36-year-old said he still needed the green light from his specialists.

The three-time Olympic silver-medallist has spent nearly five months on the sidelines after being diagnosed with early-stage nose cancer and undergoing proton therapy and chemotherapy in Taiwan.

The former long-time world number one also cast doubt on whether he will make good on his plan to make a competitive comeback at the All England Open in March.

The player has said that he is still eying an elusive Olympic gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Lee’s unsuccessful attempts to capture Malaysia’s first ever Olympic gold medal, at three consecutive Summer Games, were followed avidly back home.