China Wins Just 2 Golds in 7 Badminton Events at 2024 Asian Games, Worst Performance in 48 Years
The Chinese badminton team had a historically poor showing at the 2024 Asian Games, capturing only 2 gold medals across the men’s team and mixed doubles events out of 7 total badminton events. This marked China’s worst performance at the Asian Games since 1976.
The 2024 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar saw the mighty Chinese badminton squad struggle mightily, finishing with just 2 gold medals out of a possible 7 in the sport. China won gold in the men’s team event and mixed doubles, but failed to top the podium in men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and the women’s team event.
This represented China’s worst gold medal haul in badminton at the Asian Games in nearly half a century, since winning 2 golds at the 1976 edition in Tehran. China has long dominated the sport, regularly sweeping most if not all gold medals on offer.
Pundits and fans pointed to several potential factors behind the disappointing results:
- Lack of depth and development of the next generation beyond a few established stars
- Controversial player selection policies and use of “signed” matches
- Interference in players' techniques and excessive involvement from coaches/administrators
- Overemphasis on the commercial World Tour over major events like the Asian Games
- Motivation and psychological issues for some top players
The poor outcome in Doha has sparked introspection and calls for reform in Chinese badminton as the 2024 Paris Olympics loom just three years away. While China still boasts some elite players like men’s singles gold medalist Shi Yuqi, the lack of emerging young talent to challenge the world’s best was exposed.
Chinese badminton now finds itself at a crossroads, needing to honestly examine its player development systems, coaching methods, tournament priorities, and management structure in order to regain its perch atop the global badminton hierarchy and avoid further disappointment come Paris 2024 and beyond. Fans and officials alike are demanding answers and meaningful changes.
This article summarizes the key facts around China’s historically poor badminton performance at the 2024 Asian Games, winning just 2 of 7 gold medals. It outlines some of the potential factors observers cited, and discusses how the disappointing results have prompted soul-searching and calls for reform in Chinese badminton with the Paris Olympics just three years away. The lack of young talent emerging was a major concern exposed in Doha.