FORMER EXPONENT LEE JENG YEN TO OFFICIATE TAEKWONDO MATCHES AT PARIS OLYMPICS

KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 (Bernama) -- Although no national taekwondo exponent qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Malaysia will still be represented at the upcoming Games.

This was made possible when former national athlete Lee Jeng Yen was appointed as one of the 26 referees to officiate the Kyorugi (sparring) competitions at the world’s biggest multi-sports event scheduled from July 26 to August 11.

The Paris Games will be the second consecutive Olympics for the 42-year-old school teacher, who previously served as a referee at the 2020 Tokyo Games, which was postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I am happy to be appointed for the Paris Olympics this time and hope for the best in Paris. I will prepare myself fully, and as referees, we will ensure transparency so that the best athlete wins.

“I am more excited this time because the last Olympics were held during the pandemic without spectators. The venue, the world-renowned Grand Palais in Paris, is expected to welcome a large number of spectators, and its unique structure and design will add to the experience,” she told Bernama.

However, Lee’s journey to the Olympics wasn’t easy, involving several rounds of selection over nearly a year, including assessments and training camps.

Firstly, she competed against nearly 100 candidates from Asia in the continental selections, which included theoretical, physical and game management examinations.

“Only 16 of us from Asia made it to the next round, which comprised the top 58 candidates worldwide. I was the only Malaysian. We then underwent another round of assessments before they finalised the 26 referees, split equally between 13 men and 13 women to emphasise gender equality.

“We have been evaluated through high-level competitions like the World Championships and the World Taekwondo Grand Prix events, as well as the Paris Qualifiers for Oceania and Africa,” she said.

Also known as Jennet, Lee, who works in a private school here, represented Malaysia in various competitions from the SEA Games to the World Championships, between 2009 and 2016, besides serving as a coach. 

The last time a Malaysian taekwondo athlete qualified to compete in the Olympics was at the 2008 Beijing Games through Elaine Teo and Che Chew Chan, who competed in the women’s under 57 kg and over 67 kg categories, respectively.

-- BERNAMA