Not expensive

The national badminton squad's training at the High Performance Training Centre (HPTC) at University of Bath, United Kingdom will cost only RM78,000.

Director-general of National Sports Institute (ISN) Datuk Dr Ramlan Abdul Aziz said the 10-day training was in preparation for the World Championships in Paris from Aug 23-28.

"The HPTC at University of Bath will help our players to acclimatise to the weather and also use the sports science facilities. This followed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Malaysia and the University of Bath in May," he told reporters, Thursday.

Dr Ramlan said it allowed the 20 players and coach to enjoy cheaper lodging, transportation and food just like the undergraduates.

On the decision by single coach Datuk Misbun Sidek to train world number one Datuk Lee Chong Wei at home, he said that it was his choice.

"Misbun had asked for exemption from training at University of Bath for personal reasons and ISN respect him for that. Latest I heard that Misbun has agreed to a short training stint before going on to Paris."

Dr Ramlan said HPTC at University of Bath was not only for badminton but also other sports for training for championships in Europe.