KUALA LUMPUR, April 18 ― National badminton ace Datuk Lee Chong Wei made a surprise appearance at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) and National Security Asia exhibition here today dressed in the full white Navy dress uniform.

But Lee wasn’t cosplaying. Malaysians may not remember but Lee was the first national sportsman to be bestowed with an honorary commission six years ago.

In 2012, the Navy conferred him with the rank of Lieutenant-Commander.

Two years ago, he was promoted to the rank of Commander (honorary) in the Navy’s Volunteer Reserve Unit.

It was also during that time that he forged a bond with the Navy chief, Admiral Tan Sri Ahmad Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin, who is an avid fan of the world No, 7 shuttler.

"Since I just arrived from Gold Coast, I wanted to meet my boss and close friend Tan Sri Kamarulzaman who was at the expo. He wanted to congratulate me for winning the gold medal for the country,” Chong Wei told Malay Mail today.

"As I am rarely with the Navy, I love coming for these expos to check out the latest on display. It's always been a great experience, which is a sort of refresher course.

"Tan Sri and I go way back. Whenever we can, we go out for dinner. It's always a pleasure and an honour to be with the Navy,” Lee said of the Navy chief.

The DSA has tripled in size and become a showcase of the latest defence technology and weaponry since its debut show in 1988 with 394 participating companies.

DAS and Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) are the biggest weapon expos in the country.

"I will always go to Langkawi for LIMA,” said Lee who is interested in military matters.

"I'm also friends with Datuk Hishammuddin Hussein our Defence Minister. There are pictures of us together there. Meeting pals and supporters is always a plus point for me,” he said.

Lee had just beaten the world badminton No. 1, K. Srikanth 19-21, 21-14, 21-14 in the men's singles in the Commonwealth Games in Australia’s Gold Coast.

The four-time All England champion is bound for the Badminton Asia Championships in Wuhan from April 24 to 29.

He will play China's Qiao Bin in the first round of the US$350,000 (RM1,361,675) event.