Unsurprisingly, Yeoh was delighted at the news that squash will make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
She joked, “I think people are going to think it’s me who did it… no, but I’ll take credit! No, it’s something that has been very dear to, especially from Malaysia, Tunku Imran who was the squash federation president. And that they have been trying forever to get squash into the Olympics. I was so thrilled when they announced that for LA28, squash will be included.”
Yeoh still practises martial arts “because I still do action movies”, but admitted she largely sticks to shadow boxing as “that’s the easiest”.
She added, “I do my karate, I do my kicks, I do all the basic things. Because every time you walk on the stage, there is no one form. If it was a period movie, then you’ll be moving around with all the, you know, swords and things. And if it was a modern contemporary action movie, then you’ll be, like, sprinting down the roads and street fighting.
“When you do action films, it’s very important that you give respect to your job. I’m not a black belt per se in taekwondo or karate because we learn all of them. I mastered the basics so I can do my frontside back kicks, roundhouse kicks, all that. But I don’t specialise in one particular form.
“When I watch muay thai or karate or taekwondo, or judo or boxing, it’s thrilling because I understand the discipline. I understand the work they have to go through before they can achieve that.”
