Badminton: The Essentials
Last Updated: Monday, September 13, 2010 | 3:32 PM ET
By Jesse Campigotto, CBC Sports
Already a hero in his native Malaysia, Lee Chong Wei should be a heavy favourite for Commonwealth gold. (Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images)
As a core (mandatory) sport, badminton has been a part of every Commonwealth Games since the sport's debut in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1966.
China has traditionally dominated badminton at the elite level, winning about half the titles at the world championships since their inception in 1977. Indonesia, South Korea and Denmark are also strong but, like China, aren't involved in the Commonwealth Games.
Malaysia and England are the only Commonwealth countries to win Olympic badminton medals since the sport debuted as a full event in 1992. Neither has won gold.
In Delhi, the six badminton events — singles and doubles for men and women, mixed doubles and team mixed — will be held indoors at the Siri Fort Sports Complex.
In the team mixed competition, countries square off in ties consisting of five matches: men's and women's singles and doubles, and mixed doubles. The first team to win three matches advances.
Who to watch
Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia): The top-ranked men's singles player in the world, Wei became a national hero in his country of 28 million by taking the silver medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. At this year's world championships in late August, the 27-year-old lost in the quarter-finals to eventual finalist Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia. Wei should be the heavy favourite for gold in Delhi, where no other man in the Commonwealth is ranked in the world's top 16.
Anna Rice (Canada): The top-ranked women's singles player in her country and No. 40 in the world, Rice is set to retire from international competition after the Delhi Games. The 30-year-old Vancouver native's resume includes five Canadian singles titles and a pair of Olympic appearances. In 2008 in Beijing, she became the first woman from North America to advance to an Olympic round of 16 — the same level she reached at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. Rice lost in the second round of this year's worlds. In Delhi, she'll be the only member of the 10-player Canadian team with any prior experience at the Commonwealth Games.
When to watch
Day 5 (Oct. 8)
- Mixed team — gold and bronze medal matches
Day 10 (Oct. 13)
- Singles, doubles, mixed doubles — Bronze medal matches
Day 11 (Oct. 14)
- Singles, doubles, mixed doubles — Gold medal matches
