Malaysia’s national badminton player Lee Chong Wei, who suffered cramps and withdrew from the men’s singles finals at the World Badminton Championships in Guangzhou, China, admitted that he was badly affected when the air-conditioning system at the stadium was turned off.

Last Sunday, Lee was defeated by his long-time rival Lin Dan during the men’s singles final after he suffered cramps in the midst of the third set and conceded the match.

In an interview with KiniTV today, Lee said he did not want to blame anyone for his defeat but his condition was affected right after the stadium’s air-conditioning system was turned off by the organiser.

He said when this happened, he experienced dehydration and suffered cramps, and there were also changes in wind direction and air ventilation which he claimed benefitted his rival Lin Dan of China.

Asked if he felt uncomfortable after the system was turned off, Lee answered in Mandarin: “Definitely, 35 degrees is very hot you know? I’ve never experienced such heat.

"After the air-conditioners were switched off, the thousands in the audience made it even warmer, and it was made even worse by the lighting.

NONE "I was not injured, it was dehydration and cramps. This is my first time experiencing cramps during a big match.”

However, Lee said this was now in the past  and he should face the future.

Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin ( right ) had questioned why the air-conditioners at the stadium had been switched off, which to him was an uncommon practice.

According to a news report on the Sina.com website, a spokesperson for the organiser had told China’s government news agency Xinhua that it was the Badminton World Federation (BWF) which had instructed them to turn off the air-conditioning.

The official said BWF had been worried that the draft would affect the match and hence requested the organiser to switch off the air-conditioning.