In a recent episode of “Sporty Boys”, guest judges Lin Dan and Zhang Jike had some differences of opinions. The episode was aired on 19 July.
While judging the contestants Lin Dan said that youth is the time to be impulsive and to be aggressive. If not impulsive when you are young, when will you ever be impulsive, asked Lin Dan.
To this Zhang Jike said, “the most important thing in competitive sports is to win, and you cannot lose the opportunity to move forward just because you are impulsive,” reported Sina Sports.
After the disagreement on-air, both the former Olympic champions issued statements on their social media accounts. Both the stars said that they respect each other immensely and that the disagreement will not affect their personal relationship.
Lin Dan: Teenagers are supposed to be courageous to try and fight, they still have a long way to go. Don’t be afraid of failure and lose the courage to challenge the strong. Although I have different opinions with Zhang Jike but this will not affect our relationship. He is a respectable athlete too.
Zhang Jike: As an athlete, I have played for more that 20 years and participated in countless tournaments. I have some personal experiences of the cruelty of competitive sports. For me, the first and foremost thought in a match is that I must win it and have the opportunity to advance to meet the next opponent. This will make the opponent respect you more… At the same time, I also respect his opinion (Lin Dan’s), we are all here for the better development of this group of teenagers, work hard and lets enjoy life’s struggles!
