China steeling for ferocious fight

HONG KONG: China are steeling for a ferocious fight against ever-improving Asian and European rivals as they gun for a clean sweep of the Olympic badminton gold medals. China boast the world's top shuttlers on the men's and women's sides, but their blanket dominance of the sport has slipped in the run-up to the Games, as Malaysia, Denmark, Indonesia and South Korea close the gap. China head coach Li Yongbo, who drills his charges with military precision, concedes they face stiff competition in Beijing. But he is confident of success, and put a positive spin on having a chasing pack as China battle to increase their haul of three out of five gold in Athens and four in Sydney. "It is clear, and we should be happy, that the level of badminton is rising all across the world which is good for the development of the sport," Li said... [read full story]