China ready to kick off Asian Games badminton campaign

World
Europe

The Chinese badminton team is gearing up for the 18th Asian Games, with players conducting their first practice session after arriving in Jakarta on Friday.

Having arrived at the Athlete Village around 3 a.m., the Chinese team, including Olympic champions Lin Dan and Chen Long, appeared in the renovated Gelora Bung Karno to participate in their first training at 5 p.m., which lasted around one hour.

In humid weather condition, strong wind by air conditioners can be felt inside the venue.

"Our players are quite familiar with traffic, food and venue because the Indonesian Open is held annually here," said Xia Xuanze, the singles head coach of the Chinese team.

Both the Chinese men's and women's teams enjoyed first round byes as seeded teams in the tournament.

As revealed by Thursday's draw, top-seeded Chinese men's team is expected to face China's Hong Kong in the second round, with Chinese Taipei in the same half as the other strong opponent to be expected.

The Chinese women's shuttlers, seeded No. 2, can expect a much tougher journey in Jakarta, with Thailand looming as their semifinal opponents.

The Asian Games badminton matches will run from August 19 until 28 with seven disciplines in total. The team finals will be held on August 22.

(Top image: An overview of Jakarta Asian Games badminton stadium. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency