As Rio draws ever closer, we’re taking a look at each of the Olympic sports in turn. This week, we’re dropping in on the badminton court.
The sport exploded onto the back pages during the 2012 Olympics when eight players – two pairs from China and one each from South Korea and Indonesia – were disqualified for not trying in an attempt to manipulate the draw for the knockout stages.
2. An early Japanese derivative of badminton was called hanetsuki.
Played with wooden paddles, it also differed in that the broad aim was for the two players to combine in an attempt to keep the shuttlecock in the air as long as possible. Each time they missed a hit, female players were marked on their faces with India Ink. Still played in some parts, hanetsuki is a favourite of Japanese anime cartoonists.
3. Double Olympic and five-time world champion Lin Dan is generally regarded to be one of the best players in the history of the game.
However he caused controversy in the 2012 Olympics when he revealed a series of tattoos, which include his favourite anime cartoon, and five stars to represent his five world triumphs. Chinese observers protested Lin’s tattoos were in contravention of both his military status and religious beliefs.
4. Cementing his status as a godsend for those compiling lists of badminton controversies, Lin also makes the cut for an incident in the 2008 Korean open when he tried to physically attack the South Korean coach Mi Mao.
After losing his final match to a series of doubtful line calls, Lin lost his cool and the pair had to be separated by officials. The World Badminton Federation neglected to take further action.
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