Six hours of sitting: Lee Chong Wei talks about the process, meaning of creating his Madame Tussauds wax figure

Dec 30, 2023

KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 ― If there is one thing that Datuk Lee Chong Wei found tedious about the creation of his wax figure, it was the sitting process.

Lee said that it took six hours for the Madame Tussauds’ team from the UK to finish the job.

"To be honest, I would rather choose training over the seating. Because it's not easy, you can rest while training but not while doing the sitting," he said.

"You need to keep the same composure and pose and you can't move. After standing for two and a half hours, my legs felt like cramping."

Aside from having to go through the long hours of sitting, he also went through getting over 200 measurements done for the wax figure, which included for his eyes, body size and even his calves.

He added that the stance for his wax figure pose is known as his "Ready to fight" stance which has been seen throughout the years by thousands of badminton courts before starting a match.

Lee said this at the reveal of the Madame Tussauds wax figure of him that will be permanently exhibited at the museum in Hong Kong.

The figure which was completed in October last year was first on display at Madame Tussauds Singapore and arrived here in Malaysia yesterday before getting shipped to Hong Kong.

The life-size wax figure sees Lee in his 2016's Rio Olympic final's jersey which was also his last Olympic competition for the nation.

The blue and green jersey was donated to Madame Tussauds by Lee and the wax figure will also mark the first ever Malaysian athlete to grace the halls of Madame Tussauds.

Lee also thanked everyone who helped him during his 25 years career as a badminton player. "A total of 19 years in the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).

They were with me when I was nothing and after I got something, I admit my career was like a roller coaster."

The thing that sticks with me was when I faced my doping case while qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympics."

My ranking fell to 182 but with everyone's support, especially BAM, I returned as world Number 1 in 11 months. If there's no BAM, there's no Lee Chong Wei," he said.

Lee added that he was also touched by his sponsors’ decision to stand behind him although he was at his lowest point in his career.

The 40-year-old also said that he couldn't have had such a successful career without his team and coaches as well as the Youth and Sports ministry that helped him throughout his journey.

His wax figure will be featured at The Champions zone, joining other sports icons such as the renowned football players Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham; basketball star, Yao Ming; as well as iconic professional boxer Manny Pacquiao.