https://www.scmp.com/rss/325176/feed Lin Dan is a Chinese professional badminton player. He is a two-time Olympic champion, five-time world champion and a six-time All England champion. He is widely regarded as the greatest singles player of all time, and by the age of 28 had completed the "Super Grand Slam", having won all nine major titles in the badminton world: Olympic Games, world championships, world cup, Thomas Cup, Sudirman Cup, Super Series Masters Finals, All England Open, Asian Games, and Asian Championships, becoming... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Sammy Heung Sammy Heung Residents have snapped up 8,500 tickets for the opening ceremony of Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Sports Park in just 30 minutes. More than 20,000 residents queuing when online sales began at 10am on Friday were told they had to wait for up to two hours, according to ticketing platform Urbtix. But after 15 minutes, only about 300 tickets were left, a Post reporter found. As of 10.22am, the reporter could not buy a ticket and at around 10.35am, the platform said all tickets were sold out. The event’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3299546/8500-tickets-opening-ceremony-hong-kongs-new-sports-park-gone-30-minutes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3299546/8500-tickets-opening-ceremony-hong-kongs-new-sports-park-gone-30-minutes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Feb 2025 02:55:08 +0000 Vincent Wong Wing-ki has earned a last-minute entry into the main draw of this month’s Badminton World Championships in Tokyo, where he will bring the curtain down on a memorable 17-year career. The 32-year-old has drawn world No 74 Julien Carraggi of Belgium in his opening match at the tournament, which will take place from August 22 -28 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. The former world No 10 became a full-time athlete in 2005, but made his mark on the professional tour in 2011 when he... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3188522/marathon-man-vincent-wong-will-bring-curtain-down-memorable-17-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3188522/marathon-man-vincent-wong-will-bring-curtain-down-memorable-17-year?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Aug 2022 07:28:53 +0000 Outside of Hong Kong there is badminton legend Tony Gunawan, the 2000 Sydney Olympic men’s doubles champion of Indonesia. Here in Hong Kong there is 16-year-old Jason Gunawan, a fast-rising talent now setting his sights on becoming another Olympic gold-medal winner like his namesake. “When I watched Lin Dan play against Lee Chong-Wei in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games thrilling final, I told myself that one day I would become an Olympic champion like Lin,” said Gunawan, who became the youngest... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3112119/young-gun-jason-gunawan-sets-sights-winning-olympic-gold-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3112119/young-gun-jason-gunawan-sets-sights-winning-olympic-gold-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Dec 2020 09:38:49 +0000 Not all athletes were able to prolong their careers until next summer like Hong Kong track cyclist Sarah Lee Wai-sze and fencer Cheung Siu-lun. Some notable stars, headed by China’s Lin Dan and rower British Tom Ransley will now miss out on the 2020 Tokyo Games that have been pushed back a year because of the coronavirus pandemic. In spite of his advancing years, 36-year-old Lin was still targeting a record fifth Olympic appearance in Tokyo this summer. But soon after IOC took the decision to... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3094547/tokyo-2020-olympics-delay-forces-some-athletes-bid-farewell?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3094547/tokyo-2020-olympics-delay-forces-some-athletes-bid-farewell?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Jul 2020 07:41:15 +0000 Hong Kong’s Tse Ying-suet said compatriot Lee Cheuk-yiu was a rising force in world badminton after the retirements of Lin Dan and Lee Chong-Wei. At 36, mainlander Lin announced his retirement on Saturday after a glittering 20-year career including two Olympic crowns and five World Championships titles. Malaysian Lee, a three-time Olympic silver medallist, ended his career in 2019 because of nose cancer. While Japan’s Kento Momota, the current world No 1, is expected to fill the gap left by the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3091867/lin-dan-retirement-hong-kongs-lee-cheuk-yiu-can-be-new-force-mens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3091867/lin-dan-retirement-hong-kongs-lee-cheuk-yiu-can-be-new-force-mens?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Jul 2020 05:37:26 +0000 Chinese superstar Lin Dan has retired from badminton after claiming two Olympic titles over a career spanning two decades. The Beijing 2008 and London 2012 men’s singles champion, who is also known as “Super Dan”, announced the not-unexpected decision on China’s popular Weibo social network on Saturday. “From 2000 to 2020, it has been 20 years and I have to say goodbye to the national team. It’s quite hard to say when the words come from your mouth,” said Lin. “In 2000, I became a member of the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3091825/china-badminton-hero-lin-dan-calls-it-quits-after-20-years-and-two?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3091825/china-badminton-hero-lin-dan-calls-it-quits-after-20-years-and-two?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Jul 2020 07:21:31 +0000 Hong Kong badminton has been given a second chance for Olympic qualification at the 2021 Asia Team Championships after world governing body announced a revamped race to Tokyo on Wednesday. With the 2020 Games pushed back to next summer due to the pandemic outbreak, an extended Olympic qualification period will be introduced in 2021 from week 1-17, including the tournaments that were postponed, cancelled or suspended since March this year. Those eligible tournaments within the new qualifying... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3086477/pandemic-hands-hong-kong-shuttlers-second-shot-tokyo-qualification?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3086477/pandemic-hands-hong-kong-shuttlers-second-shot-tokyo-qualification?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 May 2020 06:39:33 +0000 Retired badminton star Lee Chong Wei is not convinced his long-time rival Lin Dan of China can make a fifth consecutive appearance at the Olympic Games in Tokyo next year as age is always “the biggest obstacle to any shuttler”. The former Malaysian ace, who lost twice to Lin in an Olympic men’s singles final, said in an online programme that he still maintained close contact with the mainland China star after his retirement last year and there is still the possibility the duo could join forces... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3085019/lee-chong-wei-not-convinced-long-time-rival-lin-dan-can-make-fifth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3085019/lee-chong-wei-not-convinced-long-time-rival-lin-dan-can-make-fifth?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 May 2020 06:27:38 +0000 There are few people more hopeful than sports fans. Even now, in a time of quarantine, self-isolation and a global pandemic, sports fans live in hope. They hope that the current seasons will resume in the coming weeks and things will get back to normal, just as they hope that this disruption will be positive. None hope harder than England football fans. Supporters of the Three Lions are international football’s most hopeful. They still believe, as the song goes, and the spectre of winning the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3079473/coronavirus-delays-change-everything-sporting-landscape-tokyo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3079473/coronavirus-delays-change-everything-sporting-landscape-tokyo?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2020 05:09:13 +0000 Should badminton legend Lin Dan retire? The debate has attracted heated discussion in China, especially with Father Time catching up with the two-time Olympic champion and Tokyo 2020 being delayed for a year. The topic has been reacted to over seven million times on Weibo as Lin, the 2008 and 2012 Olympic champion, will turn 37 in October. He has taken part in four Olympic Games from Athens 2004 to Rio 2016. Despite his age and a world ranking that has dropped to 19th, Lin is still keen to play... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3078078/tokyo-2020-should-badminton-legend-lin-dan-retire-little-hope-reaching?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3078078/tokyo-2020-should-badminton-legend-lin-dan-retire-little-hope-reaching?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2020 05:25:10 +0000 All-time great Lin Dan’s hopes of a fifth consecutive Olympics appearance could be over if the world governing body sticks to its cut-off time for qualifying after deciding to cancel or postpone all tournaments until April because of the coronavirus outbreak. The 36-year-old Chinese superstar is a two-time Olympic gold medallist and although his skills have been fading with his advancing age, he is still hoping to qualify for Tokyo this summer. But on Friday night, Badminton World Federation... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3075223/lin-dans-fifth-olympic-appearance-jeopardy-bwf-suspends-world-tour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3075223/lin-dans-fifth-olympic-appearance-jeopardy-bwf-suspends-world-tour?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2020 10:29:01 +0000 China’s two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan is using the Hong Kong Open as another stepping stone in his desperate quest to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Games. The HSBC World Tour Super 500 event, which starts on Tuesday at the Coliseum in Hung Hom, is the biggest tournament before the season closes out at next month’s year-ending finals in Guangzhou. The Yonex-Sunrise sponsored tournament also provides players with another chance to collect precious Olympic qualifying points, with 36-year-old Lin... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3037231/tokyo-2020-chinas-lin-dan-hopes-hong-kong-open-can-be-stepping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3037231/tokyo-2020-chinas-lin-dan-hopes-hong-kong-open-can-be-stepping?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Nov 2019 10:19:52 +0000 Lin Dan’s unlikely bid for a third Olympic gold suffered another blow on Wednesday when he lost in the first round of the China Open in Fuzhou to defending champion Chen Long. The 36-year-old Lin, arguably the greatest badminton player of all time, won the first game 21-19 against his fellow Chinese. But Chen, the 2016 Rio Olympics gold medallist, came back to win the next two 21-12, 21-12 and send a wilting Lin home early. Lin, a five-time world champion and the 2008 and 2012 Olympic champion,... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3036563/lin-dans-china-open-exit-new-blow-fading-olympic-hopes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3036563/lin-dans-china-open-exit-new-blow-fading-olympic-hopes?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Nov 2019 07:48:16 +0000 China has fast become one of the most dominant nations on the Olympic scene. Since it sent its first delegation of more than one athlete to the Los Angeles Games in 1984, the PRC has cemented their reputation as a global powerhouse. In the last five Summer Games they have finished third on the medal table twice and second on the table twice more, while they topped the standings when they hosted in Beijing in 2008. It is fair to say China expects, and these are some of the athletes that they have... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3019778/2020-olympics-one-year-countdown-sun-yang-leads-chinas-tokyo-medal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3019778/2020-olympics-one-year-countdown-sun-yang-leads-chinas-tokyo-medal?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Jul 2019 08:00:11 +0000 Former Olympic champion Poul-Erik Hoyer says he’s surprised that China’s Lin Dan is still playing at a high level at the age of 35 but doesn’t see him clashing with Malaysian star Lee Chong Wei at next year’s Tokyo Olympics. “I admire him [Lin Dan]. I think it’s fantastic that he is still capable of reaching finals and winning tournaments at the age of 35,” said Hoyer, the 1996 Atlanta Olympics men’s singles gold medallist and now president of the Badminton World Federation (BWF). “But I can... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3010052/its-fantastic-lin-dan-still-winning-tournaments-35-says-former?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3010052/its-fantastic-lin-dan-still-winning-tournaments-35-says-former?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 May 2019 13:04:53 +0000 A familiar question has arisen again in recent weeks: should Lin Dan, a fearsome champion once known as “Super Dan” to his rivals, call it a day after yet another dismal performance, this time at the prestigious All England Open? It seems so to many in the badminton community, although the one-time top player in the world has his vowed to play on. Earlier this week in Birmingham, the 35-year-old, who once ruled the world of badminton after clinching an unprecedented two Olympic singles... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/2189252/should-lin-dan-call-time-his-sparkling-career-now-and-avoid-potential?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/2189252/should-lin-dan-call-time-his-sparkling-career-now-and-avoid-potential?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Mar 2019 00:04:43 +0000 China’s two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan has said he has no plans to retire as he hints of going for gold at the Tokyo 2020 Games. The 35-year-old was beaten by Japan’s top seed and world champion Kento Momota in the first round of the Yonex-Sunrise Hong Kong Open on Wednesday but defeat against the favourite to win gold in Tokyo has not diminished his enthusiasm for the sport. Lin, the 2008 and 2012 Olympic champion, said he would return to the circuit early next year for the start of the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/2173269/beaten-lin-dan-keen-play-hints-going-third-olympic-gold-medal-2020-tokyo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/2173269/beaten-lin-dan-keen-play-hints-going-third-olympic-gold-medal-2020-tokyo?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Nov 2018 14:32:53 +0000 Shuttler Lin Dan’s unpaid salary battle against his former team Guangzhou Yueyu hangs in the balance after the mainland badminton star was the subject of an appeal by his former club. Just last month, Lin posted on Weibo that he and five other Yueyu teammates had finally won their battle at the Guangzhou Labour Tribunal and were set to get back the salary they were owed. Guangzhou Daily has reported the club owe Lin 4 million yuan for his appearance in the 2016-17 China Super League season when... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/2138474/respect-truth-chinas-lin-dan-still-chasing-y4-million-wages-former-club?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/2138474/respect-truth-chinas-lin-dan-still-chasing-y4-million-wages-former-club?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Mar 2018 11:08:48 +0000 Shuttler Angus Ng Ka-long scored a major morale booster ahead of next week’s All England Championships following a 2-0 win over Lin Dan of China in the German Open early on Saturday morning Hong Kong time. It took almost an hour before the Hong Kong number one pulled off a tough 21-16, 22-20 victory over second seed Lin in the men’s singles quarter-finals. Just a day after slamming the new service rule introduced in the world tour for the first time, Lin had to pack his bag for the Birmingham... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2136653/angus-ng-ka-long-stuns-legend-lin-dan-germany-bolster-us-1-million?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2136653/angus-ng-ka-long-stuns-legend-lin-dan-germany-bolster-us-1-million?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Mar 2018 09:34:06 +0000 Chinese badminton superstar Lin Dan wants to play long enough for his young son to see him in action - which means he will be around for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, according to reports. The 34-year-old Super Dan, who caused controversy last week when he displayed the wrong sponsor name in a China Super League match, said he wanted to continue playing at the highest level. “It will be difficult but I want to extend my career and am looking forward to my son seeing me play,” Lin was quoted as saying... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/2125572/china-superstar-lin-dan-wants-continue-his-badminton-career-so-his-son?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/2125572/china-superstar-lin-dan-wants-continue-his-badminton-career-so-his-son?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Dec 2017 05:56:28 +0000 World champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark beat Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei on Sunday to clinch his first Japan Open title. Axelsen, who defeated two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan of China to bag the world title in Glasgow last month, edged out Lee 21-14, 19-21, 21-14 in the men’s singles final. Lee, who has won the Japan Open six times including last year, narrowly took the second game but the Dane put in a brilliant performance to triumph in the third. In the women’s singles Carolina Marin of... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2112637/world-champion-axelsen-defeats-lee-chong-wei-first-japan-open?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2112637/world-champion-axelsen-defeats-lee-chong-wei-first-japan-open?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Sep 2017 13:20:25 +0000 Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen defeated world number one Son Wan-Ho in the men’s singles semi-finals at the Japan Open on Saturday. Axelsen, who beat two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan of China to clinch the world title in Glasgow last month, overpowered South Korea’s Son with a 21-16, 21-16 win. He now faces Malaysian Lee Chong Wei who has won the Japan Open six times. Lee booked a spot in the final after a 21-19, 21-8 win over China’s Shi Yuqi. In the women’s singles, Spain’s Carolina Marin, Olympic... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2112541/axelsen-reaches-japan-open-final-faces-lee-chong-wei?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2112541/axelsen-reaches-japan-open-final-faces-lee-chong-wei?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Sep 2017 09:42:03 +0000 World number one Son Wan-ho overpowered two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan of China at the Japan Badminton Open on Friday, while newly crowned women’s world champion Nozomi Okuhara reached the women’s semi-finals. South Korea’s Son beat the Chinese great with a hard-fought 21-15, 21-15 victory and now faces world champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in the semis. Axelsen, who beat Lin to clinch the world title in Glasgow last month, brushed off a challenge from Indian ace Kidambi Srikanth 21-17,... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/2112451/go-son-south-korean-top-seed-crushes-lin-dan-japan-open?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/2112451/go-son-south-korean-top-seed-crushes-lin-dan-japan-open?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Sep 2017 11:15:00 +0000 Veteran shuttler Lin Dan hinted he might take part in another Olympic Games after clinching a historic fourth consecutive gold medal at the National Games on Friday. Lin, who will turn 34 next month, cruised to a 2-0 (21-12, 21-13) victory over world number three Shi Yuqi in the singles final in Tianjin, his fourth gold medal since the 2005 Games in Jiangsu. And the two-time Olympic gold medallist said soon after his victory that he might go for the Tokyo Games in three years’ time. “I hope I... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2110310/lin-dan-hopes-continue-until-tokyo-2020-olympics-after-completing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2110310/lin-dan-hopes-continue-until-tokyo-2020-olympics-after-completing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Sep 2017 05:30:45 +0000 Badminton legend Lin Dan was so jet-lagged from a European trip that he feared falling asleep on-court at China’s National Games, and fuelled retirement speculation by saying it was likely his last appearance in the event. Regarded as the best badminton player of all time, the 33-year-old nicknamed “Super Dan” is at China’s so-called mini Olympics just days after losing the final of the world championships in Scotland. After failing to win a sixth world crown on Sunday in Glasgow, Lin hinted... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2109183/jet-lagged-lin-dan-feared-dozing-court?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2109183/jet-lagged-lin-dan-feared-dozing-court?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Aug 2017 09:15:30 +0000 Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen fulfilled a childhood dream by beating the legendary Lin Dan from China in straight games to claim the men’s singles gold at the world championships in Glasgow. At 33, Lin was in the hunt for a record sixth title, but he had to settle for second-best after a 20-22, 16-21 defeat on Sunday. Lin had a game point at 20-19 up in the first game, but always trailed in the second. Axelsen is the third Dane to claim the men’s singles crown after Flemming Delfs won the inaugural... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/2108538/world-championships-win-over-chinas-lin-dan-fulfils-viktor-axelsens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/2108538/world-championships-win-over-chinas-lin-dan-fulfils-viktor-axelsens?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Aug 2017 02:45:30 +0000 Vincent Wong Wing-ki’s world badminton championships dreams were shattered in less than one hour as “Super Dan” turned on the power on Friday night in Glasgow. Wong was hoping to reach the semi-finals of men’s singles after doing Hong Kong proud in the previous round in his upset victory of China’s world No 2 Shi Yuqi on Thursday. But there was no victory lap or celebration jig this time from the 27-year-old Hong Kong-born player, who was swept aside by Lin Dan, the Chinese two-time Olympic and... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2108359/speedy-super-dan-too-powerful-hong-kongs-vincent-wong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2108359/speedy-super-dan-too-powerful-hong-kongs-vincent-wong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Aug 2017 13:15:00 +0000 Chinese badminton star Lin Dan, one of the country’s most popular athletes, leveraged the power of his massive social media following to demand unpaid wages of 4 million yuan (HK$4.5 million) from his China Badminton Super League club. Lin said Guangzhou Yueyu had not paid him and six others on the team for their participation in the lucrative national tournament and took to Weibo to lambast the team in front of his three million followers. “It is chilling that so far all the athletes have not... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/2094654/chinese-badminton-star-lin-dan-threatens-club-lawsuit-over-4-million?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/2094654/chinese-badminton-star-lin-dan-threatens-club-lawsuit-over-4-million?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 May 2017 07:00:00 +0000 Lin Dan, the three-times Olympic champion, lost his men’s singles title at the All-England Open with a bewilderingly limp straight games semi-final defeat by his fellow Chinese player Shi Yuqi. The man regarded as the greatest player of all time briefly held two game points at 20-18 in the first game against the unseeded Shi, before slipping quietly away to a 24-22, 21-10 defeat. Lin’s deflating loss ended hopes of another final showdown between the veteran greats – the 33-year-old Lin, and the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/2078168/listless-lin-dan-loses-match-and-his-all-england-open-title-lee-chong-wei?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/2078168/listless-lin-dan-loses-match-and-his-all-england-open-title-lee-chong-wei?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Mar 2017 03:00:30 +0000 Lin Dan didn’t retire after the Rio de Janeiro Olympics when most observers thought he would. The world’s greatest badminton player could have finished years ago without regrets. By the end of 2011, Lin owned every major title except for the European Championship, and only because he’s Chinese. The following year he repeated as Olympic champion in London, released his autobiography “To the End of the World,” and was still looking ahead. The man dubbed “Super Dan” for more than a decade is... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2076639/lin-dan-re-enters-spotlight-all-england-championship-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2076639/lin-dan-re-enters-spotlight-all-england-championship-after?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Mar 2017 01:45:30 +0000 The Chinese internet was abuzz on Thursday after a Weibo user posted photos of Lin Dan with a ‘mystery woman’ just days after the badminton star’s wife gave birth to their first child. Lin later apologised on Weibo after a day when the story dominated the Chinese social media site. A user calling himself ‘Detective Zhao’ posted pictures and gifs he claimed showed the two-time Olympic champion with a woman in October. Other internet users quickly identified her as Zhao Yaqi, a model and... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2046836/chinese-netizens-agog-badminton-star-lin-dan-accused-having-affair?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2046836/chinese-netizens-agog-badminton-star-lin-dan-accused-having-affair?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Nov 2016 03:45:30 +0000 Xie Xingfang, the former China badminton player and wife of two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan, has given birth to a baby boy at the United Family Healthcare centre in Beijing, China. Lin posted a picture of himself and his wife with their newborn son, Fang Fang, on his Sina Weibo account, saying the baby was delivered at 10.49am on Saturday. Lin said: “Welcome to the family. Fang Fang, you have had a long day.” The 33-year-old Lin Dan married Xie, 35, in 2012. https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/2043323/super-dan-becomes-super-dad-wife-china-badminton-star-lin-dan-gives-birth-fang?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/2043323/super-dan-becomes-super-dad-wife-china-badminton-star-lin-dan-gives-birth-fang?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Nov 2016 12:00:15 +0000 China’s Lin Dan, regarded by some as badminton’s greatest-ever player, batted off retirement talk after leaving the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games empty-handed on Saturday after losing the bronze medal match to Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen. The double Olympic champion took the first set 21-15 but tired to lose the following two games 21-10, 21-17 in a defeat that likely brought the curtain down on his hallowed Games career. “I was pretty drained from yesterday’s match,” Lin said, referring to his... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2006670/not-so-super-dan-chinas-lin-leaves-rio-de-janeiro-empty-handed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2006670/not-so-super-dan-chinas-lin-leaves-rio-de-janeiro-empty-handed?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Aug 2016 13:00:30 +0000