Lin Dan invites Momota to play at LinDan Cup, June Wei to also feature
Henry Larsson
June 11, 2024 14:12 MYT
June 11, 2024 14:12 MYT
Fans will get to see Kento Momota in action as early as this weekend after the Japanese shuttler was recently invited by Chinese superstar Lin Dan to take part in his self-titled tournament.
In a recent video online, Lin Dan and Momota were seen having dinner together.
It was then that the five-time world champion invited Momota to join the LinDan Cup taking place from June 15-16 in Shenzhen, China.
“We have organized LinDan Cup in five different places in one year. The prize money for the men's singles champion is 200,000 Yuan (RM132,946). He can come and play,” Lin Dan told Momota through a translator at that dinner.
“He can get 1,000,000 Yuan (RM664,733) if he wins in five tournaments,” added Lin Dan with a smile.
Momota immediately agreed to join if invited, to which the two-time Olympic champion said he is certainly invited.
To sweeten the deal, Lin Dan even gifted his glasses to a shell-shocked Momota who was in disbelief upon receiving it.
Momota, who later posed with Lin Dan for a picture, was seen asking if Lin Dan genuinely gave him the glasses, much to the amusement of the other guests at that dinner.
Malaysia’s own Cheam June Wei is also slated to compete at the LinDan Cup happening this weekend, along with South Korea’s Lee Dong-keun, Heo Kwang-hee and Son Wan-ho.
Momota had officially retired from international badminton after featuring in last month’s Thomas Cup, where he won all his matches to help Japan reach the quarter-finals.