Bao Chunlai: I Want Beijing Olympic Gold Medal of Badminton

I have written a few articles about Bao Chunlai. To the fans’ doubt about him, he clearly indicated that he was confident to scoop the title of 2008 Olympic Badminton Games and did not have any fear of finals.

I am not fearful of finals

In the recent international badminton tournaments, Bao has entered the finals for more than 10 times. But he was changed to another person once competing in the finals especially in the battle against his compatriot Lin Dan. He had so many lose to the latter. What’s the reason?

In Bao’s opinion, the root cause of his failures was his formulary of thought formed in years of matches.

“I was given the mission to keep foreigner badminton players out of finals to insure the title belonged to China before. In general, the missions were accomplished with my great effort. With the time going by, formulary was formed in my mind that a spot of final was my success. So I could not find myself in the competition for champions.

The coaches in Chinese badminton team including head coach Li Yonbo had the opinion that Bao did not have any problem in terms of badminton techniques. He was skilled enough to beat any other one in the world. Lin Dan and he were called binary star of Chinese team.

The performance stability was Bao’s advantage and disadvantage as well. It meant less error on the court and less threat on the other side. It was not fair that some people owed his down to the lack of experience and frailty. As long as he has more confidence and more power to win the key points, Bao will have more titles.

The insider of badminton has even said as follows.

“If Bao had did 75 percent work as in the semi-fianl in final, the title would have been his.”

I have a strong desire for Olympic title.

Bao is one of the players who have the power to be champion in OG, but not the favorite. To reply to the discussion of media and fans, Bao said that the key factor for his breakthrough lies in himself.

“I lost many games, but I do not lose my heart. I will be back to square one. And I hope to prove me with outstanding behavior in Beijing Olympic Games.”

Not a long time ago, Bao said to his coach Li Yongbo that he was confident to compete with other top players for the Olympic champion.

“The more confident you are, the more confidence the people around you have in you. So long as I do good job on the court, who can tell me that I have no chance to win?”

His compatriot Lin Dan has been edging him for a long time. But Bao does not consider him inferior to the world champion.

“Lin Dan is my close friend. I was beaten by him again and again. But it did not mean that he was more excellent than me. I have more potential. I have the full confidence to let the title come to China together with Lin Dan in Beijing.”

In Frecnch Open, Bao ended the miserable cycle of failing facing Lin Dan by beating the latter in 3 games. Bao thought he should make progress in both speed and strength.

“I am taller than other opponents that I control more place on the court easily. But my explosive power is not enough. I failed to win the key points due to stamina, which made an impression to badminton fans that I did not have iron willpower in the clash. In fact, there are little advantage to each other between Lin Dan and me. The winner is the one who persist to the last second.”

Olympic torch bearer is my dream.

On Nov 15th, Li Yongbo, Cai Yun, Fu Haifeng, Zhang Ning, Xie Xingfang, Gao Ling and he were nominated to be the torch bearer. It brought Bao great honor to be the flagman of Chinese delegation in Asian Games.

“I am eager to be the Olympic torch bearer. What a wonderful thing for me!”

Bao believed that it did not influence his preparation for Olympic Games to apply for the torch bearer.

“I am good at running, so I am quite qualified for it.”

But each torch bearer only needs to run a few hundred meters. Someone intends to run very slowly to prolong the memorable time.

Knowing this, Bao made fun to us: “I would run at the opposite direction that I never reach the destination.”

Taufik Quit China Badminton Open

The organizing committee of China Badminton Open declared to the public that Taufik quit the tournament.

The Indonesian badminton team arrived in Guangzhou last night without the most famous player Taufik. News came from Indonesia that Taufik claimed not to go to China before getting into a plane. After knowing that, many reporters asked the vice chief referee Lei Mingji to prove it.

“He informed us with an email. He told us he would not attend Guangzhou tournament without his cause.” Lei Mingji said to the reporters. Taufik will be fined 250 US$ for his quit.

It is the second time that Taufik did this. Early in 2005, the hottest battle between Lin Dan and him did not show up due to his absence. Also, the quit this time affected the box ticket. According to the draw, the opponent of Taufik in the first round will be Bao Chunlai. The badminton fans were eager to watch it, but they failed.

Bao told the media it was a pity for that all his recent training was aimed to beat the Indonesian. To the question whether his power scared Taufik, Bao replied as follows.

“I do not have such power to scare him to quit China Badminton Open. It is another case if he admits it himself. But I am working hard to prepare the clash. It is a great pity that I do not have the chance to beat him in China.”

Bao’s opponent was changed to an unknown Thailand one.

Let’s think about why Taufik quit.

Injury is sure to be an excuse. He has just beat Sony to get the title of national championship. It showed that he was in good shape. He was satisfied with his form that he would take part in Hong Kong Open.

In fact, Taufik’s quit related the following 2 points.

1. Indonesian revenge on China

As we all knew, Lin Dan quit Indonesia Open in May this year. He did it on the day before the opening of the match that the committee had no time to redraw. Indonesians were dissatisfied with it. Christian Hadinata, the head coach of Indonesian badminton team gave his opinion as the following.

“There is a tradition of equality in badminton matches. Since China did not send the most outstanding player to attend Indonesia Super Series, it is not necessary for us to let our excellent player to compete in the tournament held in China. Although we need more credits for Olympic qualification by Super Series, we make our choice with the consideration of all factors besides it.”

Observer considered his remarks a sign that Taufik would quit China Master in Chendu.

But it did no happen. It became a reality in the Guangzhou event.

2. According to the draws, Taufik had much difficulty to get a spot in final.

There are three top Chinese shuttlers Bao Chunlai, Chun Yu and Lin Dan waiting for him. One of the three has the strength to edge Taufik. Maybe it is wise for him to give up. Thus he will have more time to prepare for Hong Kong Open.

But I have to say Taufik will encounter Chinese badminton players sooner or later. In the first round of HongKong Open he will take on Chen Hong, a hard opponent to conquer.

In fact, Taufik is surrounded by Chinese group no matter what kind of tournament he attends.

Predictions of China Badminton Open

Men’s Singles

The most attractive match of the first round will be the clash between Bao Chunlai and Taufik. The latter hates to meet Bao on the court for they are the natural enemies due to the types of badminton techniques. Taufik does not fear Lin Dan, but he has some to Bao with 5 failures and 3 victories. He was beaten in Denmark Open. So I think Bao has more percentage to win again.

As I wrote before, Bao was always the second. In the semi-final of last China Open, He outplayed Lin Dan for the first time. All his fans were eager for him to win the title. But he lost to Chen Hong which disappointed them. It’s a copy of last year that he was the 2 runner-ups of Denmark Open and French Open. Could he move forward to prove that he was a man, not a boy?

The other games of the first day will also be wonderful which include Chen Yu against Chen Hong, Lin Dan against Park Sung Hwan, Peter Gade against Simon and Lee Chong Wei against Ponsana Boonsak. With thanks to the revolution of drawing straws for the tournaments with credits by BWF, we are offered so many splendid matches that are no less than semi-finals or finals of international events.

Women’s Singles

As the hometown player and world No.1, Xie Xingfang is the favorite to scoop the title. She has a very good luck that she will not encounter hard opponents till quarter-finals. Her compatriot Lu Lan and Hong Kong’s Wang Chen are in the same part as her.

Meanwhile, Zhang Ning will have more difficulties to fight her way out for there are so many top players in the second half including Jiang Yanjiao, Wang Lin, the world champion Zhu Lin, Hong Kong’s Zhou Mi and a so-called overseas group consisted of German Xu Huaiwen, Dutch Yao Jie and French Pi Hongyan.

She has not been champion for 6 months with bad form. In my opinion, it’s very hard for her to win the continuous title of this tournament.

Men’s Doubles

With the sweep against Malaysian pair of Choong Tan Fook and Lee Wan Wah, Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng changed the score to 1:2. They are expected to revenge the Malaysian to have a tie. In the fourth quarter, the French Open champions have the most possibility to take on Korean pair of Lee Jae Jin and Hwang Ji Man. The Chinese pair will step forward regarding the strength gap of both sides.

If they successfully enter the last 4, they are possible to meet world champion Kido Markis and Setiawan Hendra or Denmark pair of Eriksen Jens and Lundgaard Hansen Martin. The former beat them in the final of last China Open in straight games. The latter edged them in the semi-final of Denmark Open in three games. The Chinese pairs are filled with desire to have a win over either of them.

Women’s Doubles

China has the dominance of this event. But there are so many factors to affect it especially the change of players in national badminton team. Huang Sui left, Athens champions Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen separated (reunion now), Du Jing and Yu Yang injured. The gold pair Gao Ling and Huang Sui was replaced by Gao Ling/Zhao Tingting to attend China Badminton Open.

According to the draw, the top seed Zhang Yawen and Wei Yili and her compatriot Du Jing/Yu Yang are in the first half. The 5th seed Gao Ling and Zhao Tingting will have a battle with Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen.

World No.4, the 3rd seeds Lee Kyung Won/Lee Hyo Jung are likely to compete with Zhang Yawen/Wei Yili for a spot of final. The Korean pair beat the Chinese in the Macau Open.
I have to talk about Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen. After reunion, they scooped the title of World Championship. They cherish the chances given by the coach team and hope to have a 4 uninterrupted champion.

Mixed Doubles

Top seed Zheng Bo/Gao Ling and world NO.4 Xie Zhongbo/Zhang Yawen are expected to have achievements. The English pair Donna Kellogg/Anthony Clark and Gail Emms/Nathan Robertson, the Denish pair Kamilla Rytter Juhl/Thomas Laybourn are the most competitive opponents for the Chinese pairs.

China Badminton Open Is Coming

The China Badminton Open will be held in Guangzhou, China next week. All the top players are going there for more credits of Olympic qualification. According to the draws given, many wonderful matches will be presented to the badminton fans.

For Chinese badminton players, it is a very good opportunity to adopt themselves to the home field as Beijing Olympic Games will be coming next year. For the players from other countries, it’s also a good chance to feel China.

I could not write an article better than CHINA OPEN Mouth-watering Starters.

Who do you think will be the titles of China Badminton Open? Here I give statistics about the champions of China Open in recent years as your reference.

1. Men’s Singles

Year Gold Silver
2001 Xia Xuanze Wong Choong Hann
2002 Wong Choong Hann Chen Hong
2003 Lin Dan Wong Choong Hann
2004 Lin Dan Bao Chunlai
2005 Chen Hong Bao Chunlai
2006 Chen Hong Bao Chunlai

2. Women’s Singles

Year Gold Silver
2001 Zhou Mi Gong Ruina
2002 Gong Ruina Zhang Ning
2003 Zhou Mi Gong Ruina
2004 Xie Xingfang Wang Chen
2005 Zhang Ning Xie Xingfang
2006 Zhang Ning Yao Jie

3. Men’s Doubles

Year Gold Silver
2001 Zhang Wei/Zhang Jun Liu Yong/Chen Qiqiu
2002 Feerawiwatana Pramote/Panviavas Tesna(Tailand) Chen Choon Eng/Chan Chong Ming
2003 Paaske/Rasmussen Choong Tan Fook/Lee Wan Wah
2004 Wijaya Candra/S. Budiarto Chen Choon Eng/Choog Tan Fook
2005 Wijaya Candra/S. Budiarto Eriksen Jens/Lundgaard Hansen Martin
2006 Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan Cai Yun/Fu Haifeng

4. Women’s Doubles

Year Gold Silver
2001 Zhang Jiewen/Wei Yili Huang Nanyan/Yang Wei
2002 Gao Ling/Huang Sui Wei Yili/Zhao Tingting
2003 Gao Ling/Huang Sui Yang Wei/Zhang Jiewen
2004 Yang Wei/Zhang Jiewen Wei Yili/Zhao Tingting
2005 Yang Wei/Zhang Jiewen Gao Ling/Huang Sui
2006 Yang Wei/Zhang Jiewen Wei Yili/Zhang Yawen

5. Mixed Doubles

Year Gold Silver
2001 Liu Yong/Ge Fei R.Olsen/Sogaard
2002 Zhang Jun/Gao Ling Chen Qiqiu/Zhao Tingting
2003 Zhang Jun/Gao Ling Chen Qiqiu/Zhao Tingting
2004 Jens Eriksen/Schjoldager Mette Chen Qiqiu/Zhao Tingting
2005 Robertson Nathan/Emms Gail Lee Jae Jin/Lee Hyo Jung
2006 Xie Zhongbo/Zhang Yawen Xu Chen/Zhao Tingting


My prediction is as follows:

MS champion: Lee Chong Wei (he is in such a good shape this year)
WS champion: Xie Xingfang (Guangzhou is her hometown. Ha ha)
Men’s Double champion: Koo Kien Keat/Tan Boon Heong
WD champion: Zhang Yawen/Wei Yili
Mixed Double champion: Zheng Bo/Gao Ling

What’s your conclusion? With your analysis and emotions you could have a totally different answer from me.

Comment on the chatter box.

Taufik and Lin Dan: Respect Each Other, Lack Communication Due to Different Languages

Taufik in Lin Dan’s eyes

The first fight between Lin Dan and Taufik was in 2001 Asian Championship with the former win. From then on, they had a lot of battles with victories and failures. The competition between them was the focus of attention for the badminton fans and media.

There were 2 idols for Lin Dan when he began his badminton career. One was Sun Jun for Sun was the No.1 MS player in national badminton team at that time. The other was Peter Gade for the Danish was outstanding in terms of badminton techniques.

But Lin also respected Taufik for the latter had almost scooped the titles of all kinds of tournaments including Olympic Games, World Championship, and Asian Games.

"My scores are not as good as Taufik. I am still on the way to my dream." Lin Dan said.

Taufik has a great many fans all over the world. I can prove it. Many Chinese badminton fans love Taufik much more than Lin Dan. Chinese little flower Wang Lin, the champion of Ladies Single in 2006 China Master, hoped to do well enough to let Taufik know her. Lin Dan believed that Taufik was the typical player of Indonesian with wonderful skills, enjoyable to watch.

As for the battle between him and Taufik, Lin Dan said that the character played an important role in it.

"Every player has its own character, its own way to live his life and its own way to fight on the court. There is no need to change it. Or he would lose his own feature. If Taufik turned to be modest and cautious for some people considered him arrogant, I think it’s no good for him. It’s not Taufik any more without his own style." Lin Dan thought.

Being an excellent shuttler, Lin Dan felt that the happiest was not the title, but a competitive opponent behind it.

"If I came to the top place without difficulty, I could not feel a great sense of achievement. Nowadays there are many top players fighting in the badminton tournament, so the champion weighs a lot. I benefited a lot from my opponents for their progress drove me forward. The uncertainty of win made the player maximize his potential."

Lin Dan in Taufik’s eyes

At the age of 8, Taufik was font of football. But his father wanted him to play badminton for Indonesia was a “kingdom of badminton”. To be a world-class badminton player was a dream for most teenagers of Indonesian.

Once he took part in this kind of sports, he loved it.

In Sydney Olympic Games, the world No.1 lost his game to Ji Xinpeng in the quarter-finals.

"I can not believe my failure. I have to wait for the next one. I am the No.1. Why and how can a new Chinese beat me?" Taufik could not accept it. But he began to know lose was a natural thing to a player.

"It’s just a game. Anyone could lose it. I have to relax. So I go to have a party, listen to the music and try to forget the game. But I do not mean to give up for Olympic title is my ultimate goal."

In Athens Olympic Games, Taufik cried again. But this time the tears were for excitement. "I must thank God!" Taufik said after getting the Olympic gold medal.

As for the topic of Lin Dan and him, Taufik said that he had never talked to the former due to different languages.

"There is no problem between us. He is the most outstanding player in the world. But languages are the obstacle of communication for us. I would like to be friendly to any other player in the world including those from Indonesia, China and Denmark. I could make friends with Lee Chong Wei and Peter Gade for we talked to each other in English. I was also eager to make friends with Chinese shuttlers, but we could not communicate. Why aren’t you able to speak English? If you can, we can do something together beyond the court."

Taufik gave Lin Dan a suggestion that watching English movie was a quick way to grasp the language.

Regarding the media’s discussion about them, Taufik was bored about the comparison of them.

"Everyone was asking me about Lin Dan. But Lin Dan is Lin Dan and Taufik is Taufik. I hated some newspaper reported something unreal. They always wrote that Taufik disliked Lin Dan and Lin Dan disliked Taufik. They brought much trouble to us. I don’t want to have any problem with Lin Dan. I hope Chinese media don’t give false report. And I wish Chinese badminton fans give a warm welcome to me."

To the question who was the hardest opponent to him, Taufik gave his answer----Bao Chunlai. In his opinion, Bao Chunlai is the same type as Indonesian player with great techniques and Lin Dan has more strength.

"Bao Chunlai is a very excellent player, but he did not perform steady while Lin Dan did well in this point."

Taufik has a full expectation for Beijing Olympic Games.

"I have been in China for many times. I think Chinese badminton is the world No.1. China is a very large country with a lot of people. They all work hard and I love them. There are so many world No.1 in China. I know US is the top one leading the world. Maybe the next one is China."

Lin Dan and Taufik in Bao Chunlai’s eyes

Lin Dan and Taufik have different types on the court. The media has no need to sensationalize the battle between them.

"We seldom have a talk with Taufik due to different languages. He is very clam, serous and devoted competing with others. And it’s a great pleasure to watch his games. Lin Dan is an aggressive badminton player with his own character. He often makes a standard solute to the audience after victory and shows strong desire for it." Bao Chunlai said.

Bao talked about other opponents as well.

As for Lee Chong Wei, Bao regarded him a good friend worth trusting.

"He is very smart and keeps his word to friends. I asked him to bring me something and he always did it. This kind of little thing showed that he was a nice guy."

As for Peter Gade, Bao Chunlai loved his types of playing badminton very much.

"Peter Gade is from the generation ahead me. I loved to watch his games before I entered national badminton team. Though his ability was not as good as in his top shape, his quick mind with sharp attack impressed me deeply."

Lin Dan: I Will Play Badminton till 2012

Lin Dan promised that he would play badminton till 2012 on his birthday. Oct 14th, 2007 was Lin Dan’s 24th birthday. Due to some tournaments for Olympic credits, the party held by his fans was postponed until Nov 10th. （Lin Dan and Xie Xingfang with their fans, photo)

Being the top one badminton player, Lin Dan made a birthday vow to god that he would scoop the Olympic title.

“Of course I hope that I could get the gold medal in Beijing Olympic Games for it’s a hometown event. But it’s a very difficult job for there are many competitive players including Taufik, Lee Chong Wei. If I failed to make it next year, I would try once more in 2012 Olympic Games. I will not be very old with 29 years old in 2012”, said Lin Dan.

As we all knew, Lin Dan is a fashionable person and shopping is one of his favorite hobbies. To entertain his fans, he wore a silver fur coat with sports shoes in the same color, which made him look like a model for the latest fashion in clothes. Being the hostess of the party, Xie Xingfang did not seek the limelight for her boyfriend was the center on this occasion. She had the same brand clothes as Lin Dan.

To thank his fans, Lin Dan rewarded each of his fans a special gift, a T-shirt designed by Lin Dan himself. The front of it showed a cartoon of Lin Dan with badminton racket, the back with 2 letters LD which stood for Lin Dan. For his works, Lin Dan spent a lot of time and energy on it. He disclosed to his fans that Xie Xingfang would show up in his 2nd works in 2008, which made us all eager to see it.

How did Lin Dan come to the badminton road?

When Lin Dan was 5 years old, his mother brought him an electronic organ. But Lin Dan hated it. The young Lin Dan liked to play with his boy friends especially acting as a policeman. To cast off the boring training of electronic organ, Lin Dan gave his mother an excuse of showing around the stadium nearby. By chance he met his favorite of his life----badminton. From then on he began his badminton road to success.

At the age of 12, Lin Dan became a professional badminton player of Ba Yi team. Everyone has his memorable first love. To the question when Lin Dan began to take notice of female, his face turned red. His girlfriend was also curious to know that. Someone shouted in the crowd: it’s in his 15 years old. But it was denied by Lin Dan. He was so smart that he said his parents and Xie Xingfang were the most important in his heart instead of giving the direct answer.

Olympic Games superior to marriage

Although being the top one, Lin Dan knew that the chance of Olympic title was equal to every competitor. Both Lin Dan and Xie Xingfang were under the great pressure of gold medals from the expectation of Chinese people.

“The biggest is from journalists.” Lin Dan told that the media gave him power and pressure especially when he did not perform well.

Lin Dan has done a good job this year. Besides the title of World Championship, he won a few champions of the Super Series tournaments. Next week China Open will be held in Guangzhou. It is a very good opportunity to get more credits for Olympic qualification. Lin Dan regarded it as Olympic matches to adjust himself to the situation of home field.

“Many people think Taufik is the hardest opponent to me. In fact, all the powerful badminton MS players are my opponents. But the most difficult one to conquer is not from others, it’s me. I believe that the only way to success is to win myself.”

In last China Open, Lin Dan was beat by his compatriot Bao Chunlai. He expected outstanding performance in the tournament this year for he was named “son-in-law of Guangzhou” with Xie Xingfang boring there.

There have been a few years since they fell in love and Lin Dan’s mother was very happy with Xie Xingfang. But they are not going to marry in the near future. The most important task for them is to prepare for Beijing Olympic Games. They gave great comfort to each other when either was in bad shape.

As for the title of Beijing Olympic Games, Xie Xingfang was more confident to get it. But she mentioned that she would retire after the great event due to injury and age. Lin Dan wass cautious of Olympic gold medal, but more dedicated to it.

“I hope to be the No.1 of 2008 Olympic Games, but the mission is a little bit hard to accomplish. If I failed in 2008, I would try once more in 2012 Olympic Games. I am still young then.” Lin Dan regards Olympic gold medal as his biggest goal.

Heartbreak for a Badminton Player due to Walkover

As the last article told, Ye Zhaoying was obliged to give a walkover to Gong Zhichao. It was not the first time. Nor it was the last time.

In the past few years, Chinese sports people placed the scores at a higher position than any other thing. When taking on the foreign players, Chinese team (especially some dominance event) will make a relative arrangement according to the opponents’ characteristic to make sure that the champion belongs to China. It is not a secret any more.

As for the battle of the semi-final between Zhang Ning and Zhou Mi in Athens Olympic Games, some people also had questions about it. At that time, Dutch Mia fought her way out of the Chinese surround to enter the final. Another spot would be chosen from Zhang and Zhou. Then Zhang easily won her compatriot and successful beat Mia in the final. But we could not draw the conclusion that walkover occurred because there was no proof.

The first walkover incident was discovered to the public due to the famous He Zhili’s going away. The world No.1 table tennis player He Zhili did not follow the instruction of walkover from the coach and beat his compatriot Guan Jianhua. Though she won the title, she was out of the candidate list of 1988 Olympic Games. With great angry she went out of the Chinese team for Japan.

Another walkover in 1988 was admitted by the participant. Jiao Zhimin, Li Huifen and Chen Jing represented China to play table tennis in Korea Olympic Games. The draws were Jiao Zhimin facing Li Huifen and Chen Jing encountering a Czechish player. The two games ran at the same time. The coach asked Jiao to give a walkover to Li Huifen for that she had ever lost to the Czechish before. Jiao lost the game as the coach’s direction.

But to her surprise, Chen Jing, on her side, edged the Czechish. In the battle for the bronze medal Jiao Zhimin also beat the Czechish. It showed that there was no need for anyone to do a walkover in the tournament.

After retirement, Jiao told her friends that she had done 5 walkovers which broke her heart especially in the Olympic court during his 8-year table tennis career.

Things have changed with the passage of time. Most Chinese people agree with that all the players have the right to compete fair and square. It is quite shaming that walkover occurs in the sports no matter how beautiful the excuses are.

Beijing Olympic Games is coming. Chinese State Physical Culture Administration makes a call for completely clean Olympic Games. I hope this kind of walkover incident will come to the end.

Badminton Secrets: Li Yongbo Admitted Walkover

Li Yongbo admitted that the coach team made a decision that Ye Zhaoying(right photo) should give a walkover to Gong Zhichao(left photo) in the ladies single semi-finals of Sydney Olympic Games. It was discovered in the interview to the head coach by CCTV(China Central Television).

The situation was that Danish badminton player Martin entered the finals by beating Chinese Dai Yun, while two Chinese badminton players would fight for a spot of finals.

The two are Ye Zhaoying and Gong Zhichao. The 26-year-old Ye was the most outstanding player at that time with the titles of 1995 and 1997 World Championship and many Open tournaments. Meanwhile, Gong was a rising champion with excellent performance especially in 2000.

“Once they had a hard battle, there would be great loss to the finals for Chinese badminton team no matter who would win in the end. It was no need to exhaust ourselves.” Li Yongbo analyzed it with calm mind.

There was a serious discussion and design in the Chinese badminton team in terms of the one who would face Martin. According to the statistics of scores in 1998 and 1999, Gong Zhichao seldom failed encountering Martin, while Ye Zhaoying was beaten by the Danish a few times. What’s more, Martin expressed his fear of Gong’s hard defense.

But Ye was the No.1 of Chinese badminton WS and made great achievements to the revival of Chinese badminton with a lot of champions including Sudirman and Uber Cup.

“I have been opposing walkover since I became a coach. It would hurt the player and show no respect to the audience when it happened. But in China, national interest is the top one. We finally made the decision that Ye should give a walkover to Gong. We tried to persuade Ye to do so and promised that she would be treated as the Olympic champion if Gong edged Martin. It was sure that nobody was willing to give a walkover. Tears came out from Ye’s eyes. She did not want to give up. But finally Ye accepted the coaches’ arrangement.” Li told the interviewer.

Our dear friend, if you have watched the game, you would have noticed that Ye was very reluctant to lose the game. With the pale face and two 8-11, she gave the walkover to Gong Zhichao. But the latter did not know anything behind the curtain.

“I have been a badminton player and deeply knew how much a badminton player should pay before standing on the winner’s platform. I did not have the heart to suggest anyone to do a walkover.” Li continued.

The head coach expressed his appreciation to Ye. The things went as Li’s prediction. Gong defeated Martin to scoop the 14th badminton title.

OK, the story is finished. What’s your feeling?

In some content it sounds reasonable. No matter how many excuses for it, walkover is walkover. Sometimes I can not figure out which is right. Can national interest replace individual right to compete fair and square? Were there similar things happened in other countries? How did they handle this kind of matter? If you have the chance to choose your opponent, will you do a walkover?
Comment on the chatterbox.

Badminton Law: Bao Chunlai----Always No.2

Bao lost his French Open title to the amazing Lee Chong Wei. This time it was Malaysian who broke his dream, last lose in Denmark.

The fans of Bao are all disappointed and doubted why. In China, there are more badminton fans of Bao than Lin Dan for the former is more attractive. But it doesn’t help Bao with a gold medal.

In Denmark Open Bao did so good job that he beat Taufik, Lee Chong Wei and Chen Jin and entered the finals. Facing compatriot Lin Dan, Bao did not perform well any more and lost the game in a very short time.

It was just a copy in the French Open MS final. After outplaying Lin Dan with great effort, Bao was edged by Lee Chong Wei. To conclude, the champion always slipped away from Bao.
In my opinion, Bao has the power to kick off any other top badminton player in the world. But the trrth is, Bao seldom got a gold medal. Why?

Maybe tiredness was the reason. In Denmark Open, Bao had a few hard battles before the finals. It was the same as in French Open. Bao finally defeated Lin Dan in semi-final, which made him tried both in physiology and psychology.

In fact, the main cause is Bao’s weak psychology.

Problem1: the shadow of Lin Dan

Bao is one of the most outstanding players in the world with strength and rich experience.But there is one badminton player that he could not conquer no matter how skilled he is. It is Lin Dan. In almost every tournament Lin was superior to Bao. Bao could have excellent behavior except facing Lin Dan. They have fought for 20 times with 14 victories for Lin Dan.

So Bao seemed to play badminton under the shadow of Lin Dan, which made him lack of confidence encountering Lin Dan. After so many failures, Bao intended to accept that it was nearly impossible for him to outplay Lin Dan.

Problem 2: the fear of finals

Always being No.2 made Bao fear of finals. A too strong desire to the title made badminton player impatient on the court. Bao is the case. Bao is very much eager to prove to the world that he could be the No.1. This deeply influenced his performance and made him not focus himself on the match. French Open is an example.

How could he overcome it? It depends on himself.

From his career honors below we could see this: so many runner-ups, few champions.

Bao’s career:

2002 All England Open, Indonesia Open last4; Japan Open, Singapore Open last 8

2003 German Open, Hong Kong Open last4; Singapore Open, Malaysia Open, China Open last 8; World Championship MS last 4

2004 Thomas Cup Champion(team); Swiss Open, Japan Open, China Open runner-up; Indonesia Open, Singapore Open last 4; Malaysia Open last 8; Olympic Games badminton MS last 16

2005 Sudirman Cup Champion(team); China Open, Hong Kong Open, China Master Open runner-up; German Open, Malaysia Open last4; Singapore Open, Japan Open, All England Open last 8; World Championship last 8

2006 Thomas Cup Champion(team); World Championship runner-up; Asian Games champion(team); Korea Open title; China Open, Indonesia Open runner-up; Singapore Open last 4; Thailand Open, Macau Open last 8

2007 Malaysia Open, Indonesia Open, Denmark Open, French Open runner-up; All England Open, Korea Open last 4; China Master last 8; World Championship last 4