Badminton ace Lee Chong Wei has revealed that he turned down a bookie's offer a few years ago as he did not want to let the country down.

"Yes, I was approached, but money is not everything to me,” he was quoted as saying by NST Online.

The former World No 1, who was speaking at the Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara, said that for him, national pride came first.

“It is my responsibility to uphold it,” added the 36-year-old player.

Lee also advised his teammates to steer clear of match-fixing, and stressed that there were no shortcuts to success.

“A player needs to work hard and be patient,” he said.

Last week, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) revealed that two independent shuttlers were being investigated for match-fixing. Both have been provisionally suspended from all tournaments.

Their hearing will be held in Singapore on Feb 26-27, and the players could be handed a life ban by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) if found guilty.

Meanwhile, Lee also stated that the match-fixing scandal had tarnished the reputation of Malaysian badminton.

"It has tarnished our good reputation. The two who are being investigated may not be under BAM, but they still wear our Malaysian flag on their chests.

"As a top player, I feel embarrassed and ashamed. I hope the case comes to an end soon.

“I also understand that BAM will take a stern action on those involved in it,” he added.

Lee recently landed in the spotlight over a sex video. The badminton ace denied that it was him in the video and lodged a police report.

The sex video issue came in the wake of news that the shuttler's biopic titled "Lee Chong Wei: Rise of the Legend" would be making its world premiere on March 9 at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.