Eric Lee told Bernama that his father passed away due to old age. He was 87.

Guan Chong coached the national men’s badminton team in 1975 and 1976.

The team were runners-up at the 1976 edition of the Thomas Cup after losing 9-0 to Indonesia in the final.

Eric said his father actively coached teams until he retired in 2017.

Meanwhile, former national men’s shuttler James Selvaraj, who was one of Guan Chong’s proteges, said the late coach’s passing was a great loss to the nation.

Selvaraj said Guan Chong was a strict coach but imparted a lot of knowledge to the national team.

“He was very strict to ensure we got good results, but he was very friendly with the players,” he said.