Although some costly travel mishaps befell Olympic badminton gold medalist Lee Yang’s (李洋) father Lee Chun-yu (李峻淯) on his way to Paris, he wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
Olympic badminton team Lee Yang (李洋) and Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) made history in Paris on Sunday, winning the gold medal in men’s doubles for their second consecutive Olympic Games. While all of Taiwan celebrated their victory, Lee and Wang’s family members remain their most devoted fans of all.
In order to travel to Paris to watch the match, Lee’s father Lee Chun-yu (李峻淯) chose a connecting flight in China because it was the better bargain. Unfortunately, this attempt to save a buck ended up costing him even more, as he forgot to bring his Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents with him.
Lee told reporters that, prior to leaving, he boasted to Lee’s mother that he would have paid a million to watch their son play. Although he didn’t end up spending quite that much, he did have to shell out NT$300,000 (US$9,170) for the entire trip.
For Lee, this is all just part of being a father and having faith in his son. Before the game, he was captured briefly grasping Lee Yang’s hand, a touching moment that Lee described as his attempt to pass some of his strength over to him.
Lee Yang plans to retire from the sport after this year’s Olympics. He has said that he hopes to cultivate future Olympic athletes in badminton.
Hanna Bilinski for RTI News