KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysia businessman has told the country's Olympic badminton team that if they can bring home the Gold Medal in London they will receive a gold bar worth RM2 million. Badminton, a popular sport in Malaysia, which sees the country at the highest levels, has never brought home a gold medal at the Olympic Games, but this year's squad hopes to chnage that. And mining magnate Andrew Kam, a badminton enthusiast and chairman of the Kuala Lumpur Racquet Club Berhad, has added incentive to the team. Malaysia has never won a gold medal at the Olympics, earning two bronze and two silver medals, all four in badminton, the top sport for the country. Kam added the RM2 million prize on top of the government, which has already offered another one million for a gold. “KLRC would like to play a part in helping this dream become a reality – and that is to capture the elusive gold medal which our country has yet to achieve,” Kam said in a statement published in local media. “Towards this end, on behalf of KLRC Berhad, I would like to throw a challenge to our Malaysian badminton team: If any of you brings home a gold medal from London 2012, there is a 2 million ringgit gold bar waiting for you here. Gold for gold! “Please see this as an incentive and work hard to achieve this dream.” Men's singles silver medalist Lee Chong Wei, who lost the gold medal match to China's badminton great Lin Dan at the Beijing Games in 2008, is Malaysia's best chance for earning that first gold. However, the star player is currently injured and is only able to train sporadically ahead of the July 28 kick-off of the Games. “There is no question that this is the kind of reward that will help the players rise to the occasion,” Lee told reporters after Kam's announcement.
