Badminton star Lee Chong Wei has denied that politicians are riding on his popularity for their political mileage.

Responding to questions after the launch of his autobiography today by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Koh Tsu Koon, Lee said: "I don't think so. For me, I am not a politician.

"I called a politician here today because he is a minister, so I asked him to launch my book."

Asked whether this would affect his reputation, he disagreed, saying, "No, no, no, I am just a sportsman."

NONE However, Lee declined to comment on his invitation to the prime minister's official residence immediately after he arrived from London in March last year, after winning the All-England badminton title.

During the two-hour function, Lee also launched his fan club, autographed limited edition copies of his book for fans, and signed a deal with Gempak Starz for a cartoon version of his autobiography.

In his speech earlier, Koh gave a summary of the book and praised it for embodying the spirit of 1Malaysia.

"I think this book also reflects the spirit of 1Malaysia; of how sports can unite our people, and how sports actually transcends not just ethnicity and nationality.

"We have a moving moment that many of us remember and our prime minister kept talking about it, when Lee won a difficult battle and how he hugged his coach Misbun Sidek. That is the spirit of 1Malaysia," Koh said.