A large crowd yesterday turned out to watch a badminton exhibition event in honour of His Majesty the King, although world No.1 Lee Chong Wei did not play.
China's Lin Dan, right, shakes hands with Thailand's Boonsak Ponsana.
Malaysian Lee was originally scheduled to play Lin Dan of China but could not take part in the Badminton Thai Glory to the King because he is serving a provisional suspension for doping, pending a final decision by the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The BWF confirmed that Lee could not play in any matches during the ban but could demonstrate his technical skills.
However, Lee decided not to do so to avoid further problems and instead only made an appearance at the event, which marked the King's 87th birthday.
Boonsak Ponsana replaced Lee and lost 21-15, 21-10 to Lin.
"Playing against Boonsak was not much different from playing against Lee because they both are world-class players,'' said five-time world champion and two-time Olympic winner Lin.
"I hope the fans enjoyed the match."
Lee Chong Wei greets fans.
Organiser Jane Piyarat said he was satisfied with fans' response to the event.
"I am happy with the number of fans although Lee did not play,'' he said. "We sold about 5,000 tickets. We hope Lee and Dan play here in the future.''
Jane claimed that he spent more than 50 million baht to organise the event.
His Majesty played badminton when he was younger and has been the leading support of the sport in Thailand.
In 2012, the King received the President's Medal from the BWF for his contribution to the sport.
In yesterday's other matches, world No.4 Ahmad Tontowi and Natsir Liliyana of Indonesia, who won the world title last year, were defeated by Kunchala Voravichitchaikul and Songphol Anugrityawon 13-21, 21-17, 17-21 in a mixed doubles contest.
In the men's doubles, Bodin Issara and Pakkawat Vilailak lost to Indonesia's Hendra Setianwan and Mahammad Ahsan, ranked second in the world, 21-19, 15-21, 19-21.
Meanwhile, Lee is to sue a former shuttler for defamation over an allegation he has been using banned substances for a long time, according to reports.
Lee reportedly said his lawyers had sent a legal notice to former Malaysian national badminton player Razif Sidek.
Sidek reportedly said officials of the Badminton Association of Malaysia were aware that Lee had been taking banned substances for some time but kept silent due to his strong performances.
"My lawyer sent him a letter a few days ago and we will settle this matter in court," Lee said.
"I can't let this go because he defamed me. As a former shuttler, I'm sure he knew better than to make false allegations against me, especially during these trying times. He has hurt not only me, but the entire country with his comments."
Lee, a silver medallist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics, did not say when the case will be filed. bangkok post/dpa