The six-month (maximum) BWF protected ranking designated to the shuttler, who was diagnosed with nose cancer last July, is only valid for a year, and Chong Wei was granted eligibility for it on Aug 15 last year. Chong Wei was even forced to put his much-awaited comeback on hold twice (All England and Malaysia Open) after being advised by his doctor in Taiwan. In other words, the later Chong Wei makes a return, the harder it would get for him to collect enough points for Olympic qualification. So apart from having to worry about world ranking points, Chong Wei will also have to overtake several other Malaysian shuttlers, who are currently ranked above him. The top two Malaysian shuttlers currently are Lee Zii Jia (No 22) and Liew Daren (No 25), while the rest who are ahead of Chong Wei include Chong Wei Feng (No 64), Soo Teck Zhi (No 68) and Soong Joo Ven (No 73).

Source: New Strait Times April 18, 2019 13:07 UTC