KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 15 — Former national badminton ace Datuk Lee Chong Wei has become the first Malaysian athlete to be part of the wax museum, Madame Tussauds Hong Kong.

The museum today announced that the former world number one will be the first Malaysian athlete to be part of the attraction.

The national hero also took to Facebook to express his excitement by sharing some photos of his photoshoot for Madame Tussauds Hong Kong.

He also hinted that the wax figure will likely be unveiled in the second quarter this year. 

Madame Tussauds Hong Kong said in a statement that the sitting session took about six hours which mostly saw Lee bringing endless joy to the team.

"Throughout the sitting session, not only did Lee provided full cooperation — from time to time, he joked around to lighten up the atmosphere, bringing endless laughs to the team.

"I’m impressed at how they recorded details so meticulously, including the colour of my hair and eyes! I’m extremely honoured and grateful to be representing Malaysia,” said Lee.

"I hope that my wax figure will inspire more Malaysians to showcase their talent on the global stage.”

Datuk Lee Chong Wei’s wax figure is slated to be unveiled in the second quarter of 2020. — Picture courtesy of Madame Tussauds Hong Kong

Madame Tussauds Hong Kong marketing head BoBo Yu also shared her excitement on the latest addition to the attraction and said they consider Malaysia as one of their important markets.

"After unveiling the wax figure of (Tan Sri) Michelle Yeoh many years ago, Lee Chong Wei will be the second Malaysian to have a wax figure exhibited at our attraction.

"We are indeed privileged to have such a brilliant athlete joining us,” she added.

Yu also hoped that this would attract sports aficionados from Malaysia and all over the world to come and experience the magic of badminton displayed through the badminton superstar.

Featuring 12 zones from glamourous Hollywood actors to your favourite K-pop stars, artists, musicians and sports heroes, and the incredible Madame Tussauds Hong Kong houses over 100 wax figures.