The Chinese women's badminton team aim to defend their titles, while the men's team will fight to secure a last-four spot at the Thomas and Uber Cup, which kicks off on Sunday in Thailand. 

Set to run from May 8 to 15, the tournament features a number of the world's top players, including world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen and No. 4 Anders Antonsen of Denmark, and Kento Momota of Japan. 

Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yufei leads the Chinese women's squad, which will include veterans Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan, as well as young faces like Wang Zhiyi, who has a stunning record recently.  

Their biggest rivals will be Team Japan, featuring Akane Yamaguchi, Nozomi Okuhara and Sayaka Takahashi. 

Zhang Jun, president of the Chinese Badminton Association, said that the team should be remain focused as a gold favorite. "We should prepare for tough situations. Every player should know how to handle it if we are behind. It relies on each individual, not others," Zhang said.

Meanwhile, the men's team will feature young players and new duos looking to gain confidence and experience against international competition, highlighted by 22-year-old Wen Hongyang, who won the men's singles title at the BWF South Korea Open last month. 

"It is valuable to gain training experience in major international events, especially winning a point. Players should have faith to win and overcome their fear from the moment they step on the court," Zhang added. 

He admitted that the goal for the men's team is to enter the knockout stage and fight through the quarterfinals. "if we can secure a top-four place, we will aim for gold or silver medals," Zhang said.

China has been drawn in Group B of the Thomas Cup with Algeria, Denmark and France, and Group B of the Uber Cup with Chinese Taipei, Spain and Australia.  

The Chinese women's team will start their journey on Sunday night. 

(With input from Xinhua)