Paris Olympics Badminton Draw Announced: Chinese Team Faces Tough Matches

Jayce September 6, 2024 2 0

On the afternoon of July 12, the BWF conducted the group stage draw for the 2024 Paris Olympics badminton tournament. The draws for all events except men’s doubles have been finalized, revealing challenging matchups for many Chinese players.

2024 Paris Olympics | Full Draws

The draw ceremony was held at 4 PM . Half an hour before the draw, the BWF announced that the men’s doubles draw would be rescheduled, while the regulations and principles for men’s singles, women’s singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles remain unchanged. Recent reports indicate that the host nation France might have a second men’s doubles pair entering the Olympics, increasing the total to 17 pairs, but neither the IOC nor BWF has responded.

Men’s Singles: Shi Yuqi Top Seed, Li Shifeng to Face Axelsen Early

The Olympic singles event features a single draw, with all players divided into 13 groups. Each group winner advances to the round of 16, which sets the stage for the knockout rounds.

Shi Yuqi is the top seed in men’s singles, placed in Group A, while second seed Viktor Axelsen is in Group P. Shi Yuqi will compete against Suriname’s Soren and Italy’s Totti in his group. If he advances, he will have a bye in the first knockout round and move directly to the quarterfinals, potentially facing Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Group C) or Kenta Nishimoto (Group D). The upper half of the draw also includes Anders Antonsen, Lee Zii Jia, and Jonatan Christie.

Li Shifeng, the other Chinese men’s singles player, is seeded sixth and placed in Group N, with Switzerland’s Kouenci and Nigeria’s Zwon. Should he advance, he may face Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew for a spot in the quarterfinals, where Axelsen could be a potential opponent. Other notable players in the lower half include Jonatan Christie, Kodai Naraoka, HS Prannoy, and Chou Tien-chen.

Women’s Singles: Chen Yufei and He Bingjiao in Same Quarter

The women’s singles draw is not favorable for China, as Chen Yufei and He Bingjiao are both in the same quarter. Second seed Chen Yufei is in Group P, facing Denmark’s Mia Blichfeldt and Germany’s Li Yifeng. If she wins her group, she will advance to the quarterfinals. Sixth seed He Bingjiao is in Group N, with Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour and Azerbaijan’s Keshya. Advancing to the round of 16, He Bingjiao might face India’s PV Sindhu from Group M. This setup means that only one of Chen Yufei, He Bingjiao, and Sindhu can reach the semifinals.

Spain’s fourth seed Carolina Marin is also in the lower half. The upper half features top seed An Se-young, who shares a quarter with Akane Yamaguchi. Third seed Tai Tzu-ying is in the same group as Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon, with other notable players such as Mariska Tunjung and Kim Ga-eun in the same quarter.

Women’s Doubles: “Fanchen” Face Tough Group

In doubles events, 16 pairs are divided into four groups for round-robin matches, with the top two from each group advancing to the quarterfinals. The quarterfinal matchups will be redrawn based on group rankings, making group draw less critical.

China’s top women’s doubles pair Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan are in Group A, facing Japan’s Matsumoto/Nagahara, Malaysia’s Tan/Muralitharan, and Indonesia’s Rahayu/Siti. This group is highly competitive, posing significant challenges for “Fanchen.”

The second Chinese pair, Tan Ning/Liu Shengshu, are third seeds in Group B, competing against the American pair Xie Xinfang/Xu Yifan, Bulgaria’s Gabriela/Stefani, and Hong Kong’s Yang Yating/Yang Peilin. Groups C and D feature other strong pairs, such as Matsuyama/Shida, Kim/Kong, Bai Ha Na/Lee So Hee, and Jongkolphan/Rawinda.

Mixed Doubles: Tough Opponents for “Yaqiao” in Group A

China’s two mixed doubles pairs are top seeds. The top-seeded pair Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong are in Group A, facing Korea’s Kim Wonho/Jeong Na-eun, France’s Gicquel/Delrue, and Indonesia’s Rinov/Pitha. This group is also highly competitive.

The second-seeded pair Feng Yanzhe/Huang Dongping are in Group D, with Malaysia’s Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei, Singapore’s Terry Hee/Tan Wei Han, and the USA’s Vinson Chiu/Jennifer Gai. Japan’s Watanabe Yuta/Higashino Arisa are in Group C, facing Taipei’s Ye Hong-wei/Lee Chia-hsin, Hong Kong’s Tang Chun Man/Tse Ying Suet, and Denmark’s Christiansen/Bøje. Group B features Korea’s Seo Seung-jae/Chae Yu-jung and Thailand’s Dechapol/Sapsiree.

With the group stage draw announced, players enter the final two weeks of targeted preparation. Many Chinese players face tough draws, with challenging matches from the group stage. However, this can also be an opportunity. For the Chinese team aiming for gold, they must be prepared to face every opponent with courage and adjust their form from the group stage.

With two weeks to go until the Olympics and one week until the team departs for Paris, we trust that the Chinese team will make the most of the final preparation period, analyze and prepare for their opponents, and strive for victory on the Paris stage.