Lee Yong-dae (AFP/Ed Jones)

Meet-and-greets with fans are a common commitment for most professional athletes, despite their rigorous training schedules and busy competition seasons.

However, for world-class shuttler Lee Yong-dae of South Korea, meeting with fans was something new for him, yet it was something he was more than willing to embrace.

The 2008 Olympic Games gold medalist got his chance when he attended a fan meet on a Saturday afternoon in Jakarta. He did not expect to see about 350 people flock to a small arena in Senayan, just to meet him face-to-face.

It was the first time Lee had ever held a fan meet despite having been a professional athlete for 16 years. He said he was surprised to see so many fans come to welcome him to Indonesia.

“Throughout my career, I’ve never thought I would hold a fan meet like this,” he said during the event on Dec. 7, 2019.

The crowd shouted his name nonstop from the moment he entered the arena. In response, Lee waved and gave some high-fives to several nearby fans.

He continued by giving his fans hugs, taking selfies with them and answering all of their questions. He even sang a song despite telling the audience he was very nervous about singing in front of them.

“I don’t have any dreams to wish for, but after seeing this audience, I dream to come back to Indonesia to meet you all again,” he told the audience.

For more than a decade, Lee has dedicated his life to being a professional athlete, focusing on delivering the best results for the South Korean badminton national team at every tournament.

His dedication has earned his country a gold medal in mixed doubles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 43 Superseries titles including at the All-England Open, Indonesia Open and China Open.

He also once broke the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) record for being the longest reigning number one in men’s doubles alongside his partner Yoo Yeon-song, with the duo remaining at the top for 117 weeks from 2014 to 2016.

Seemingly at the peak of his powers, he suddenly decided to retire in 2016. However, he returned to the court in 2018 with new partner Kim Gi-jung for the Barcelona Spain Masters.

With such a great array of achievements, it is no surprise he has so many admirers around the world.

He said he would make the most of being an influential figure in the world of badminton.

Speaking to The Jakarta Post before the event, he said having a massive following had inspired him to gradually become more of a public figure and social media influencer while still being a professional athlete.

However, he stressed that his new ventures into the spotlight were not intended for gaining fame. Instead, he wanted to use his influence to introduce badminton to a wider audience.

“I still want to play badminton, but I also want to inspire people at the same time,” he said.

The 31-year-old added that the idea of becoming a more public figure came to him during his two-year hiatus.

He chose to retire early to give fellow South Korean badminton players a chance to compete at international tournaments. However, he also felt that during this period interest in badminton in South Korea had begun to decline. As a result, he created a YouTube channel and Instagram account to display his passion for badminton in the hope of boosting the popularity of the sport in his country again.

Currently, his YouTube channel has amassed 32,700 subscribers while his Instagram account has attracted 70,800 followers.

He said he wanted everyone to know that badminton was a fun sport that had helped him cope through a difficult childhood. Lee recalled that as a child he had been overweight and lacked self-esteem, but that badminton had helped him gain confidence.

Lee said he was not only using social media to promote badminton, but was encouraging himself to take any opportunity to increase people’s awareness of the sport.

For example, he accepted an offer from Hanwha Life Insurance, a South Korean insurance company, to be its newest brand ambassador.

However, he said he was not sure whether he might also tap into other opportunities such as starring in soap operas or recording music.

“Could people see me on television acting in a drama? I don’t think that it would generate high viewership,” he laughed.

However, the fans believed that Lee’s popularity, combined with his good looks, would attract people to want to know more about badminton.

Rina Anggraeni, one of the fans at the event, said she had admired Lee ever since watching him and Lee Hyo-jung compete against Indonesians Nova Widianto and Lilyana Natsir at the 2008 Beijing Olympics on television.

She recalled that she watched the entire game because of Lee’s handsomeness. Soon after, she found herself learning more about the world of badminton such as the BWF rankings and other badminton tournaments.

“I even started playing badminton with my friends, dreaming that someday I would compete against him [Lee] at the Olympics or Asian Games. Even though I knew it was ridiculous, it still inspired me to dig deep into the sport,” she said.

Another fan named Widya, 22, also expressed admiration for Lee, saying he was “total husband material”.

“He is handsome and has achieved many accomplishments, so I think he is a good role model for my generation,” she said. (glh)

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