[VIDEO] Proud Student Cheers & Sings 'Saya Anak Malaysia' Alone At All England Open Stands
The most wholesome thing a Malaysian can do for our national athletes thousands of miles away from home.
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Some sports tend to have a quieter audience with cheers and applause coming only at crucial moments. Badminton is one of them.
But Malaysian student Chan Wei Hoong understood the assignment. He knew he could not let our athletes feel alone all the way in the UK.
Singing at the top of his lungs at the 2022 All England Open in Birmingham, UK, Chan echoed the badminton hall with the song, Saya Anak Malaysia.
The 19-year-old student sang the song during the match between Malaysia's Tan Kian Meng-Tan Wee Kiong and England's Sean Vendy and Ben Lane.
It was an intense match for our men's doubles players, as home pair Sean Vendy and Ben Lane were the crowd favourite.
In a video uploaded by @theone_xyz, a Twitter account dedicated to badminton, Chan's voice serenades the hall so loudly, even cameras picked up on his repeated "Saya Anak Malaysia" chant.
Chan Wei Hoong was heard singing 'Saya Anak Malaysia' during the match between Malaysia's Tan Kian Meng-Tan Wee Kiong and England's Sean Vendy and Ben Lane.
Image via @theone_xyz (Twitter)
"My favourite moment from yesterday's matches. 'Saya Anak Malaysia'," wrote @theone_xyz with a fire emoji.
"Whoever sang this during Tan Kian Meng-Tan Wee Kiong match, thank you! Saya terhibur (I was entertained)."
The tweet carrying the video went viral with almost 1,000 likes and over 23,000 views.
It eventually caught Chan's attention, and he messaged @theone_xyz to share the excitement of watching the match in the UK.
In a conversation, Chan shared that it was the only day he could watch the match as he is busy with university. He said that he even visited our national players' hotel.
"I saw M Thinaah, Hoo Pang Ron, Cheah Yee See, Ong (Yew Sin), and Teo (Ee Yi)," he said.
"I told them I was singing [to] them so passionately yesterday that they could literally hear me. After their matches, they [immediately came] and see me [...] and greet me [...]."
Speaking to SAYS, Chan shared that it is a norm in the UK where people cheer for their team by singing
"The main reason why I decided to sing this is because I find the implicit meaning of the song to be very unifying, especially within the later parts of the song 'i.e. Melayu, Cina, Iban, India'. And I feel like, as a country, sports is one way that can put aside any difference (if any of course)," said the sports journalism student at a university in Manchester in an email.
"This links to why I chose to sing a song like this. Furthermore, in the UK, people sing as a way to cheer on their team, compared to Asian countries, who would normally just chant a particular slogan."
"So I thought it was a good idea to culturally appreciate the two different methods, and I found this song to sing."
"Furthermore, having seen the success of the national team at the Asian Championships held in Shah Alam earlier in the year (which I would have gone to 200% if I was in the country), my inner patriotism has been lit up even more, as if it is wasn't high enough already. (Yes, I am patriotic even though I am in a foreign country)."
Chan took a photo with Rio Olympic silver medallist shuttler Goh Liu Ying.
Image via @DarenceChan (Provided to SAYS)
Chan brought a former Malaysian national badminton jersey to the stadium and it was signed by national shuttlers Man Wei Chong, Tee Kai Wun, Chen Tang Jie, Peck Yen Wei, Pearly Tan, M Thinaah, Hoo Pang Ron, Cheah Yee See, Lai Pei Jing, Tan Kian Meng, Tan Wee Kiong, Aaron Chia, Soh Wooi Yik, and Vivian Hoo.
Image via @DarenceChan (Provided to SAYS)
The 19-year-old added that he had also watched the match between Malaysia's Pearly Tan and M Thinaah and Brazil's Jaqueline Lima Samia Lima
Chan also admitted that he has a crush on Tan.
"Getting to watch them compete on the court in the flesh for the very first time in my life was just an absolute privilege, and seeing how the Pearly-Thinaah communicated with each other was also very interesting, and inspiring for someone like myself [...]," he told this SAYS writer.
"That was the match I believe that I gave [the] most oxygen to. I think I have lost count as to how many times I sang, 'LET'S GO PEARLY-THINAAH, LET'S GO'."
"Lost my voice [for] it, but if they stand to benefit overall, I will do anything for them, and for Malaysia. Jia you!"
Chan took a photo with Tan and Thinaah after their win against the Brazilian pair.
Image via @DarenceChan (Provided to SAYS)
You can hear Chan's singing here:
Chan said he will vlog about his experience at the All England Open very soon. If you do not want to miss it, you can subscribe to his YouTube channel here.
Learn more about the All England Open matches on 16 March here:
Read more #sports stories on SAYS:
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