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BANK BRI-BWF THOMAS CUP & UBER CUP FINALS 2008
Danes bid goodbye
15 Mei 2008
By Raphael Sachetat. Pix by BadmintonPhoto
Korea downed Denmark 3/2 in a thriller, after Denmark was clearly weakened by the absence of Kenneth Jonassen. The tricky strategy to lose in their group match paid off as Korea are now in the semi-finals but they had to claw back from a 2/0 lead from Denmark.
The Koreans will take on meet Indonesia while China faces Malaysia. With Kenneth Jonassen out with a back injury and Jan Jorgensen who had been ill most of the previous days, Denmark was clearly not in the position to win the tie against Korea for the most exciting match of these quarter-finals.  Nevertheless, the Europeans knew this would be their last chance in a long time in the Thomas Cup and wanted to give it all out. And it certainly started out the best manner with a fighting and eager Peter Gade, who was facing Asian Champion Park Sung Hwan.
And the match between the wise European and the outgoing Asian kept all its promises and Gade had to use his talent, energy and experience to finally nail the first point for his team after no less than 1hour and 21 minutes of play – one of the longest matches of the week. And the Dane won 24/26, 22/20, 21/19, falling on his knees after this incredible first match. Over an hour later, it was Lars Paaske and Jonas Rasmussen who fell on the ground after another tight victory, 21/18, 10/21, 21/19 over the All England Champions, Lee Young Dae and Jung Jae Sung. Unfortunately for the Danes, this great start wasn’t enough and the three other matches went in favour of the Asians, with Lee Hyun Il downing Joachim Persson and Athens silver medalist Shon Seung Mo taking over rookie Jan Jorgensen. The second men’s doubles may have been the key as Matthias Boe and Carsten Mogensen had a good record against Lee Jae Jin and Hwang Ji Man, but the Danes missed their chance in the first game when they caught back up few points to come back to 19/20, but let the Koreans finish it off. The latter did the same in the second game, winning 21/19, leaving it to their experienced Shon to finish it off, which he did quite easily.  “It’s a shame that we couldn’t take our chances in the three other matches. We are disappointed but of course we knew that without Kenneth it would be very difficult. Somehow, Korea’s attitude in a group match which wasn’t very fair to the spectators did motivate us even more and we did what we could today. As for myself, I am very satisfied by pulling a win after coming back from all the problems I’ve had. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough today,” said Gade.
Indonesians, on their end, made the expected clean sweep in an astonishing atmosphere – it was the usual packed, noisy and vibrant Istora Senayan stadium hot for their home players against the English squad. But if they lost 3/0, the Europeans can go back with their heads high, as they played some of their best badminton, starting with Andrew Smith, who was inches away from getting the first point for England, when he and Sony played even most of the match. The English obviously enjoyed the atmosphere and played around with the public, especially at the end of the first game he had won 25/23, showing his flag on his shirt to the roaring crowd. Sony put things back in order in spite of a very good fight and gave the lead to Indonesia, barely edging the second one 21/19 before an easy run in the third 21/5. It was then Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan and Taufik Hidayat – who was playing in front of his 9 month old daughter and his wife Armi – who made sure Indonesia would keep some energy for the semi-final to come, against Korea. China had a rather easy round against Thailand, as it was all over in less than 2 hours and a clean sweep 3/0, helped with Lin Dan’s victory over the most feared Thai, Boonsak Ponsana. Once this match was over, there wasn’t much to be hoped for the Thais. Lin Dan however will have an interesting match against Lee Chong Wei next as China is set to meet with Malaysia in the semi final. Chong Wei was clearly in great shape and beat Shoji Sato in no time, being way more attacking than he usually is. “I wanted to save us some energy for the semi final” said Chong Wei. “We’ll be meeting China and I want to be ready for Lin Dan. So far, I’m feeling good and I feel like I have the means to beat him like last time in the Sudriman Cup,” he added. The Malaysians made sure they avoided Koo andTan’s nemesis Ikeda and Sakamoto, and fielding scratch pair of Koo and Choong Tan Fook. The strategy worked perfectly and Koo obviously enjoyed this new partnership, all smiles through their 21/13, 21/11 victory. Wong Choong Hann then had to finish it up against Tago, winning 21/13 , 21/18, leaving the other scratch pair of Tan Boon Heong and Mohd Abdul Zakry out of the tie. All the shuttlers will have a day of rest on Thursday as the girls take over to play their semi finals. China will then try to go one more step to be able to defend their title. “We feel like it would be a great final against Indonesia in front of their home crowd, which doesn’t mean I want it to be the final” said Li Yongbo, China’s head coach. “And I feel Indonesians haven’t showed all their potential yet,” added Li, who, at the time, couldn’t imagine he would spend a very tense evening in the stands, watching his girls.  It was a very close call for China on Wednesday when two of the three Chinese women’s singles lost and the third one saved a match point against her. This could have been the worse ever Uber Cup journey for China, had they been downed by the Dutch in the quarter-final. But at the end of the day, the doubles and Lu Lan made up for the poor ability to cope with pressure from both Xie Xingfang and Jiang Yanjiao, who were beaten by Yao Jie and Rachel Van Cutsen respectively.
With the Dutch one love up, it was then a whole new match that Lu Lan had to play against Judith Meulendijks, as the Chinese had extra pressure on her shoulders, and her coach Li Yongbo in the stands, probably waiting for a sign to send either herself or Zhu Lin to the Olympics together with Zhang Ning and Xie Xingfang. And it was the Dutch who took the first game quite easily 21/10, before Lu Lan fought back and barely won the second game 21/18. The last game was a thriller and Meulendijks played again some beautiful badminton but could not finish the match. Then Lu Lan played this match point as a champion and saved her team, scoring three points in a row to clinch the first point for China. This point she saved was to have an even stronger flavour, when over an hour later, Jiang Yanjiao completely lost her nerves against much lesser ranked Rachel Van Cutsen, 21/14, 11/21, 21/16 and forced China into five matches – which was very unexpected from the line up. The Chinese team left shortly after the match, giving little comment about their performance – the lack of celebration after the final win clearly showed that it was a performance way under par for the Chinese, and they’ll have at heart to show their strength against Korea on Thursday. The latter beat Malaysia 3/1 in the afternoon session. For the second time in a row, German girls have qualified for the semi-final of the Uber Cup after their historical showdown in Tokyo, two years ago. But this time, this victory over Denmark – who had beaten them in the European qualifying stage – was mostly unexpected as the Germans were playing without three of their key players, Nicole Grether, Carina Mette and Petra Overzier, who had clearly made a difference as well in last edition. “This is a great surprise as we really didn’t expect to win a medal here this time with so many players missing. We came here with a lot of young players hoping to have fun, so it’s just great to be in the semi-final again” said Xu Huaiwen. The Germans will face Indonesia, who swept Hong Kong 3/0.
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14 Mei 2008 - - Second seeds Japan were ousted in the pre quarter-final round of the Uber Cup, beaten 3/0 by an inspired Malaysian team. The men later were not far from making it a terrible day for Japan badminton when they barely survived their tie against Germany. |
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BANK BRI-BWF THOMAS CUP & UBER CUP FINALS 2008
Mixed fortunes for Japan
14 Mei 2008
By Raphael Sachetat. Pix by BadmintonPhoto
“I am disappointed with my girls,” said coach Park Joo Bong after his girls were trounced by Malaysia 3/0 in the pre quarter final round. One of the worst Uber Cup journey’s ever for the Japanese, who had been crowned 5 times in the past.  But without the injured Kumiko Ogura, Park’s charges didn’t manage to get their game together, and will go out of this Uber Cup without a single win – something quite incredible for the second seeds. Even if the overall score board showed a clean 3/0 sweep from the Malaysians, things weren’t so easy when one takes a closer look at each match, and the first between Wong Mew Choo and Eriko Hirose was a crucial one to get on the right track for both teams.
And it was a fierce fight between the two players, but consistency and a better vision of game from the Malaysian provided her with the first point of the tie, winning 21/17, 21/18, after a bright ending of match, scoring 9 out of the last 10 points. However, the real turning point came in the first doubles when Malaysia fielded skipper Lim Pek Siah together with Wong Pei Tty, breaking the usual Wong/Chin pairing. And the strategy worked wonders, as the Japanese Miyuki Maeda and Satoko Suetsuna just didn’t match their usual standard, committing many mistakes and leaving the Malaysian in the lead most of the game, losing 21/15, 21/18.  “It was then very difficult for the team to come back after the women’s doubles lost. I don’t know why, but they put a lot of pressure on themselves and didn’t play well at all,” said Park. Yu Hirayama as second singles was then up, but unfortunately for Japan, once again, the odds were turned around and it was Julia Wong who delivered the winning point after a 58-minute battle and a 21/15, 10/21, 21/19 victory.
There wasn’t much missing to see three European pairs in the quarter finals of the Thomas Cup. After England had enjoyed a strategic loss from Korea, they were up against Nigeria and logically won 3/0, but it was mainly Germany who almost created the upset of the day, in the only tie which went on after the third match. First, Shoji Sato had to gear up against an inspired Mark Zwiebler, losing the first game 19/21 and trailing 12/15 in the second before finding the pace he had shown to beat Denmark’s Peter Gade the previous day. He finally took the first point for Japan, 19/21, 21/17, 21/5, but things were not to go easily on the Japanese, with a great match from Kindervater and Hopp, nailing Japan’s Ikeda and Masuda in a surprising but convincing 3 games match in over one hour of play.  Then Dieter Domke, the new German wonder, easily beat Sho Sasaki 21/12, 21/16. The Germans were then just one match away from the final victory and Spitko and Fuchs did all they can to trouble the experienced Masuda and Ohtsuka, coming down from 14/19 in the first game to level up to 20/20 but failed to bank on that great catch, leaving the Japanese take the lead 22/20. The Asians went on to win the last match of the tie thanks to Kenichi Tago who got the better of Marcel Reuter in straight games.
“Of course, when we looked at the tie before hand, we didn’t think that we would have the chance to beat Japan, but we could have, really. Marc could have won his match and then again in the second doubles, we had the chances and we didn’t take them. That’s what makes the difference between us and the great teams like Denmark who took their chances against Japan last night,” said German’s coach Jeroen Van Dijk. “I’m pleased with the way they fought. I’m particularly pleased with Kenichi Tago, who proved he could deliver under pressure. His experience in the Sudirman Cup and Thomas Cup qualifying stage helped I think. Now, we’re playing Malaysia, and it will be very difficult but we are the underdogs so we have no pressure. And our men’s double can be a threat, especially the first one who have beaten Koo and Tan three times already,” added Park. No major upsets in the other matches of the day, Korea qualifying as planned to the quarter-final for a clash against Denmark. The Dutch girls as expected fielded their top players as Yao Jie and Judith Meulendijks and won 3/0 against New Zealand to meet China in a rematch of the 2006 final.
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13 Mei 2008 - - Danish girls topped their group by beating Malaysia after a thrilling battle and qualified directly for the quarter-finals, in the opposite half of China, meaning a possible shot at an unexpected medal. |
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BANK BRI-BWF THOMAS CUP & UBER CUP FINALS 2008
Danes march on
13 Mei 2008
By Raphael Sachetat. Pix by BadmintonPhoto
In the Thomas Cup, the Danes also went on to top their group in the Thomas Cup winning a tight tie against Japan. “We came here for experience, and even if I had hoped for a qualification for the quarter-final, I certainly didn’t expect that we would go through this way,” said Denmark coach Steen Pedersen. And Pedersen was a happy man as this will be his last Thomas and Uber Cup as a head coach for Denmark.  His girls gave him an early present by qualifying for the quarter -final stage of the Uber Cup without going through a pre round, thanks to an impressive victory over Malaysia. “I had tried to calm down everyone the night before, telling the girls that we shouldn’t underestimate the Malaysians, who were very strong on paper, but they were very confident and had a great team spirit going into the game and Tine’s victory gave everyone a boost for the rest of the event,” added the coach.
Yet this first match wasn’t a done deal when the top Dane faced Wong Mew Choo of Malaysia, as the Malaysia Open Winner had just come back from a long holiday and didn’t know what to expect from this match. “We knew we could win any match in this tie, but with Tine coming back from holiday, we hadn’t banked on it, but she pulled out a great win tonight,” added Pedersen. Tine won 19/21, 21/19, 21/14 victory. However, Malaysia’s Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty leveled terms when they beat scratch pair of Kamilla Rytter Juhl and Ropke, as Lena Frier was resting over a slight ankle injury. At 1-1, the next match was a crucial one and the odds were then against Nanna Brosolat, who was making her first trip to Asia, facing a young but experienced player, Julia Wong. But the Dane played the match of her life, keeping focus and hope in spite of trailing most of the match. Nanna, losing the first game 13/21, still managed to come on top of both second and third game thanks to an inspired performance. Mie Schott and Christinna Pedersen couldn’t miss such an opportunity to nail the last point and there was the upset of the day, Denmark topping the group over Malaysia, even if Lydia Cheah narrowed the margin after a win over Camilla Sorensen to make it a final 3/2 victory for Denmark. The Danes will now take on the winner of the tie between Germany and South Africa. In the Uber Cup morning session, Japan once again bit the dust, this time, facing the Netherlands, in a close fight won 3/2 by the Dutch. -day2-smals.jpg) Later on in the evening, in another incredible atmosphere, Indonesia scooped its second victory, this time against a Dutch team which was playing without its two best shuttlers, Yao Jie and Judith Meulendijks, once again blaming the tight schedule and the fact that his girls would have to play 3 matches within 36 hours.
Indonesia finished first in Group Z and moves on to the quarter-final, taking the so much coveted spot of being the furthest away from China at the very bottom of the draw If Denmark thought that they already had their share of suspense with their women’s team, the boys certainly didn’t count on such a showdown from Japan. Leaving Kenneth Jonassen out of the line up, Gade was then back at his usual No 1 singles spot, but he was to face an incredibly fit and fighting spirited Koji Sato of Japan. Winning the first game 21/19, the Dane let go in the second and saw Sato take a clear lead in the third, 15/7, but fought back with his usual talent, hoping not to get beaten by Sato for a first time in these conditions. He came back and was the first one to get a match point opportunity, but once again, the Japanese fought back and took the last three points in a row to nail it 19/21, 21/14, 22/20 after over an hour of play. That’s also how long it took for Lars Paaske and Jonas Rasmussen to beat Shintaro Ikeda/Shuichi Sakamoto duo, once again relying on a strong defense, to take their opponents to over time, but the former world champions lived up to their status and put back Denmark in the tie. Persson took the second point, but the third and winning point was to be delivered once again after a highly tense match between veterans Jens Eriksen and Martin Lundgaard and Tadashi Ohtuska and Keita Masuda.  “To top the group wasn’t so important, but it was very important however that we won this match to get confidence into the rest of the competition,” said Lundgaard, who was the hero of the end of the match with some very inspired tricky service returns.
“We had never lost to them before, and it might have affected their confidence towards the end,” added Eriksen, the 38 year old Dane. “Of course, we had some pressure to do well here, because we want to win this Thomas Cup, but also show that we can play well and be selected for the Olympics,” hinted Lundgaard. He and his partner are potentially qualified according to BWF rules, but as their younger team mates Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen are within the top 16 as well, Denmark can send any two pairs of these three (with Paaske and Rasmussen) to Beijing. Denmark now tops their group and as expected, reach the quarter final directly in the lower half of the draw, where Indonesians are second seeds and well placed after their 5/0 victory over Germany. However, a guest they didn’t expect will be out there waiting for them as early as the quarter final stage : Korea, who finished third of their group.  Unlike other sports, there are competitions in badminton where round robin matches have a more strategic taste to it, and topping the group is not necessarily the priority. Korea proved it obviously on Monday for their entrance in the tournament.
Korea’s head coach Kim Dong Soo openly admitted that they had come to Jakarta hope to avoid winning the group, as their target was to face Denmark in the quarter-final. The line up of the Korean team in the morning session clearly showed that they were serious in their game plan - all singles played doubles while doubles players were involved in singles matches. Fan didn’t expect to see Lee Jae Jin and Hwang Ji Man as singles player facing Rajiv Ouseph and Nathan Rice respectively. And of course, the outcome saw England win 4/1, with the only loss from Middleton and Adcock to Shon Seung Mo and Lee Young Dae. England will the obviously finish second in the group – a position they couldn’t hope for with Robertson and Clarke staying home, but the English will now probably face Nigeria in a pre quarter final warm up before facing Indonesia on home soil.
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BANK BRI - BWF THOMAS CUP AND UBER CUP FINALS 2008
Indonesia stun Japan
12 Mei 2008
By Raphael Sachetat. Pix by BadmintonPhoto
 However, Indonesia were given a scare in the Thomas Cup when Sony Dwi Kuncoro and Taufik Hidayat lost their respective matches to Boonsak Ponsana and of Thailand but prevailed to beat Thailand 3-2 to stay on course for an automatic quarter-final tie tomorrow.
Two years after their disappointment at home, it looked as if Japan is cursed again in the Uber Cup, which they started in the worse manner on Sunday, losing to the hosts 4/1. But it was a much tougher battle than what the final score showed and after almost 5 hours and a half of play. Indonesia came on top thanks to some impressive play and a last minute injury for one of Japan’s key player Kumiko Ogura, whose recurrent back injury stroked back few days before the competition. With her withdrawal from the team, it was a whole new ball for the second seeds. “Of course, the fact that Ogura couldn’t come had a great impact on the team, not only because the doubles were not the same, but also psychologically, all the team took it badly” said Park Joo Bong, who had then lowered the target to semi final.  The first point could have gone either way and Japan’s Hirose was happy to see a happy ending for her when she and Maria Kristin played for over 1 hour and 14 minutes in front of an ecstatic crowd, showing what kind of pressure the Indonesian crowd could put their opponents under.
But Hirose was the strongest physically and was able to find some extra energy towards then end to speed up the game and win. She had come back from 14/17 in the second game to clinch it 22/20 and showed some nerves in the rubber when the tiny Indonesian on her turn saved 3 match points before finally bowing 22/20 in the last game. But this was only a hint of Japan’s nightmare as all other points went into the local girls pockets. Natsir and Marissa got things even over Maeda and Suetsuna in three hard games, before Firdasari took the best out of Yu Hirayama in three games. Polii and Novita gave Indonesia the 3rd and winning point against scratch pair of Shiota and Matsuda, before Pia Zebadiah upset Kaori Mori 21/17, 21/19 for an impressive final 4/1 in the tie, which could have been 5/0 had Hirose failed to deliver. “It was very difficult for us today and it was clear that our girls were under a lot of pressure to play against Indonesia in this atmosphere, they did a lot of mistakes. Now, it’s not over and we still hope we can qualify for the semi finals. We were hoping to top the group, but now, we have to see what’s the best strategy against the Netherlands,” said Park Joo Bong. On Indonesia’s side, it was all smiles with Polii and Novita joking with the local reporters, hinting that the home support was great for some, but also putting pressure on other team members. But one of the key to this victory could be the arrival of Susi Susanti as the women’s team manager. The 1992 Olympics Gold Medalist was quite happy about this victory. “They were very excited but played very well today. I’m very happy, and we hope we can continue this form against the Netherlands and top the group to avoid China, but we’ll be ready for any team no matter what,” said Susanti. It will then all rely on the Dutch’s will and ability to perform on Monday, as they are drawn to play twice in the day against their opponents. In the past, the Dutch Manager had clearly admitted that he had let go with some ties in order to be in a better position to go further in the draw.  The Uber cup ties didn’t show any surprises apart from this battle, and the title holders China had an early but smooth start as they trounced the USA 5/0. Denmark, Germany, Malaysia and Korea all had easy first rounds, but things could get more complicated on Monday.
The great day for Indonesia in the Uber Cup was almost followed by a nightmare in the evening session when the boys were close to lose their tie against Thailand, who had played earlier in the day against Germany. But it didn’t forbid Boonsak Ponsana and his younger compatriot Saensomboonsuk to beat Indonesia’s top shuttlers Sony Dwi Kuncoro and Taufik Hidayat respectively. A very disappointed crowd however enjoyed the suspense with a final win 3/2 thanks to Riyadi/Gunawan who delivered in three games and Simon Santoso who scored the final point. Indonesia is now in a good place to top the group D and take the second seed ideal spot at the other end of the draw of China, who claimed an easy 5/0 win over Nigeria.  Boonsak Ponsana’s tough win against Marc Zwiebler gave Thailand a flying start but Germany was on to win the next two matches, putting the Thais under pressure. Kindervater and Hopp beat Panvisavas and Prapakamol in a tough two games battle, beating the experienced duo 22/20, 21/17.
But the surprise of the tie came in the hands of Dieter Domke, the new kid on the German block, who gave hope to his team mates by beating Poompat Sapkulchnanart after a thriller, 12/21, 21/19, 21/16, giving Germany the lead. The local fans took part in the fight cheering for the Germans who were dancing and singing in the stands, but Anugritayawon and Narkthong were to put back Thailand in the tie after their 21/19, 23/21 win over Spitko and Fuchs. The final match would then decide on the tie, with Marcel Reuter taking on Thailand’s young wonder Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk. And the Thai turned the odds around and finally scooped the victory in two games, 21/14, 21/19 after failing to convert a first match point on a service fault. The Germans had almost created the upset of the day and will probably regret the fact that Bjoern Joppien didn’t make the trip after he apparently decided to let go with his International career. Denmark had a smooth start as well, with Peter Gade happy about his ability to play here in Jakarta after few months away from the court. The Dane didn’t have to force his talent against New Zealand’s Joe Wu, winning 21/5, 21/11. Denmark won 5/0 just like Malaysia over England, with the big match to come between Malaysia and Korea on Monday.
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10 Mei 2008 - - WITH the exception of the 1994 and 1996 editions, China have made the Uber Cup their own. With 10 titles in the bag since 1984, the Chinese are certain to add another title to their name. |
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BANK BRI-BWF THOMAS CUP & UBER CUP FINALS 2008
Uber Cup - Preview
10 Mei 2008
By Raphael Sachetat. Pix by BadmintonPhoto
If there is any doubt in the prowess and might of the Chinese team, a look at the world ranking will dispel any doubts. China players occupy the top four positions in the women’s singles and the top three in the women’s doubles.  Who can beat China ? This is the real question. Although recent tournaments have shown that few shuttlers in the world have been able to beat the top Chinese, but Wong Mew Choo, Tine Rasmussen and Wang Chen can only take one point out of five, which still gives China the advantage.
In spite of Zhang Ning’s absence – the Olympic Champion is said to lack fitness – the line up of the Chinese squad is impressive. Xie Xingfang, Lu Lan, Zhu Lin and Jiang Yanjiao should be able to deliver enough points to secure China’s victory. In case one of them failed, the doubles will with no doubt take the edge in most confrontations, with Zhang Jiewen /Yang Wei and Zhang Yawen/ Wei Yili as the two best pairs in the world at the moment. All eyes will be on Lu Lan and Zhu Lin, who may be playing their ticket for the Olympics as the coaches are yet to announce the final selection for Beijing Games. With Germany and USA as group mates, Li Yongbo’s girls should make it to the quarter-finals directly without any trouble, where they could meet any of Japan, Netherlands and Indonesia, for a first interesting tie. Top seeds of their groups, the Koreans will have a tough match against Hong Kong. The latter will be playing without their new team-mate, Zhou Mi, who has yet to get a local passport. Had Zhou been in the squad, Hong Kong would have become one of the favorites of this event, nevertheless, Wang Chen and Yip Pui Yin can scoop the first two points and put any of their opponents under pressure, even mainland China as they had proven in the Asian Games in December 2006 when they had met in the final. Whoever finishes second, however, might have a better chance of making it to the final as it means avoiding China in the semi-finals. Korea however has suffered a major set back when their top shuttler got injured again few weeks ago before a local tournament. Jun Jae Youn was replaced at the last minute by Bae Youn Joo on the entry list. This will clearly make it very difficult for the Koreans, who will still bank on their great duo of Lee Hyo Jung and Lee Kyung Won, who clinched the Yonex All England in March. Malaysia and Denmark will fight to top their Group Y in order to avoid to be sent back in China’s half of the draw, but it will be quite a tight battle as both teams are evenly matched. Wong Mew Choo and Tine Rasmussen have been amongst the few shuttlers to beat the Chinese lately, and whoever wins this confrontation will give a big boost to their team mates, even if the other shuttlers from Malaysia seem a bit more experienced than the Danish younger generation.  But Denmark is hot in the women’s doubles, with a recent gold medal in the Europeans for Kamilla Rytter Juhl and Lena Frier Kristiansen. Who ever comes on top of this tie will qualify for the quarter finals directly but could very well see Germany as a potential opponent.
With Xu Huaiwen in great form, Juliane Schenk as a solid second singles and Nicole Grether back in the team, the Europeans could be a threat to both Malaysia and Denmark. The last team in Group X is New Zealand, who will have at heart to play well in order to try to influence their own NOC as their National Olympic Committee have given stricter qualification rule for the Olympics. Last but not least, Group Z is known the group of death, with second seeds Japan aiming at the silver medal they had failed to get in 2006 when they hosted the event. They had, then, been beaten by the Netherlands, whom they will have to fight again in their group match. Without Mia Audina, who had retired not too long after their bright silver medal in the 2006 edition, things will be rather difficult but the Dutch spirit is one of the strongest in team events.  The Dutch have called back Karina Dewit, the Giant Dutch, in the squad as they had during the preliminary rounds, even if the latter had stopped competing at the international level.
Japan on their end, have dropped Kanako Yonekura and given her place to Yu Hirayama and Imabeppu, with Eriko Hirose and Kaori Mori as first singles. The Japanese look even stronger with their usual pairs Reiko Shiota/Kumiko Ogura and Maeda Miyuki/Suetsuna Satoko, for a very homogeneous team, and less pressure than last edition, where they had collapsed under pressure. Indonesia will be the third team in that tough group with their usual shuttlers, and their main strength lies in their doubles, Vita Marissa/Lilyana Natsir and Jo Novita/Greysia Polii. Things have already heated up in this group as Indonesia then the Netherlands complained about the original schedule, which was amended recently. But a lot is at stake. However, it's definitively something worth fighting for.
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OYLMPIC GAMES
Qualifiers shortlisted
10 Mei 2008
There are a number of stages or rounds until the full quota of athletes is achieved with Member Associations/National Olympic Committees given until 31 May 2008 to confirm to BWF on their selection of qualified player(s)/pair(s).  All Member Associations have been informed of the player(s)/pair(s) who have qualified. The names of “next qualified”/”reserves’ have also been announced along with the qualifiers.
The BWF has also adjusted the World Rankings (WRs) of 1 May based on nine successful appeals in cases related to Competition Regulations 5.5 where WR points were adjusted before publication 1 May. Competition Regulation 5.5 states that: No player/pair shall enter or be entered in two BWF-sanctioned competitions if the published dates of the competitions overlap. The Olympic qualifying period ended on 30 April 2008 and the World Ranking list of 1 May 2008 will be used to determine the seeds for the Games in August with the draw for the Games scheduled to take place in Beijing on 4 August 2008.  China’s preparations for the Games have been boosted with their men’s singles, women’s singles and women’s doubles all eligible for the full quota of three berths in each category.
The hosts also have two qualifiers in the men’s doubles and mixed doubles. China are the favourites, based on world ranking, to lift the men’s singles, women’s singles and women’s doubles gold medals. In men’s singles, they have Lin Dan, Bao Chunlai and Chen Jin while the women’s cast comprise the likes of Xie Xingfang, Lu Lan and Zhang Ning. In fact, with Zhu Lin, China occupy the top four spots in the women’s singles. For further information on the qualifying stages, please refer to the deadlines below. 30 April 2008: Olympic Qualifying period ends; 1 May: BWF world ranking list to be used to determine the qualification; 2-9 May: BWF determines the list of qualified players/pairs; 10 May: BWF notifies members of qualified players/pairs. Names of reserves/next qualified players to be announced as well. 31 May: MAs/NOCs confirm to BWF on selection of qualified players; 11 June: Reallocation of places where a NOC has not confirmed the 1 May qualifiers. 15 June: BWF notify MAs of further qualified players; 29 June: Reallocation of places where an NOC has not confirmed the entry of a player/pair qualified in the list of 11 June. April to July: the Tripartite Commission will confirm, in writing, the allocation of invitation places to the NOCs; 23 July: Deadline for BOCOG to receive entry forms submitted by NOC’s Olympic Games; 24 July: Seeds published (based on 1 May world ranking); 4 August: Draw; 9 August: The Games begin.
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