I'm a bit surprised there's not been a lot more discussion on the badminton side of things after the ban. Here are some of the bigger tournaments this year: All England The Korean pairs would have been firm favourites for the MD titles, but now it's up to Boe/Mogensen or Ahsan/Setiawan to grabs it. It also open things up others (like the Malaysian/Chinese pairs) to make a good run. Thomas Cup Not sure about the exact rankings, but Korea will probably end up in the third pot for the draw. This gives us plenty of Group of Death possibilities, and I can see the team going out in the group stages. This would be quite a disaster for a team that had every chance in making the final. World Championship Like the All England, but the WC is obviously far less prestigious. The least important of the four major events (AE, WC, Asiad, Thomas Cup) as far as I'm concerned. Asian Games The biggest event after Olympics? It's Ahsan/Setiawan's to lose, this means any team in the top 16 have a good shot at grabbing a medal too. Not sure if they still have men's team in this year's Asiad, if so this is going to cost Korea a silver medal in the team event as well. Super Series With no Super Series titles yet this year, Korea was never likely to replicate their 6 championships from last season. Now things look even worse with the MDs out, and they could slip to 6th on the table behind Denmark and Japan, along with the obvious China, Indonesia and Malaysia. I don't watch badminton a lot, so I'm sure most of you can come up with more in-depth analyses. I also don't follow XD, but I'm sure it will affect that side of things as well.
WC far less prestigious than AE? As any player would they rather be world champion or all england champion.
Because it used to be once every three years, then bi-annual, then watered down to an annual event that skips once every four years? Soon enough they will have four World Championships a year just to call it a grand slam.
Doubt if it's more prestigious than WC, but AE is the oldest of all tourneys, so more prestigious than most others in that sense.
The fact that it skips once every three years, and the constant changing of format means it's pretty hard to take it seriously. I do doubt that LCW will trade his two AE titles for a World Championship thought, if only it means he would never have won the AE title either - which you do need to win as a great player (I think we can all agree on that). A gold in the Olympics or Asian Games? Yes, I think he'll be willing to do that, just because Malaysia needs that Olympic gold so badly. But yeah, this thread is on LYD/KKJ's ban by the way.
You be surprised that Malaysians do worship this chap as if he is really the real deal and bigger deal than the Hartono of INA...LOL one more thing, wining WC, I think I read it somewhere that LCW will get bonus RM50K, so 2 AE will equate to about the same bonus except less work to win 1 WC than 2 AEs. But the real payout on endorsement and upping this dato title and other freebies/goodies to come are far more.
haha. that's true. but the point is the same. and also maybe using Malaysia as an example might not be fair as whoever wins a WC will be the first ever for Malaysia so they will see it as more valuable. perhaps we should look to another country. Li Yongbo celebrate how many World Champions he has nurtured in his head coaching career, his goal is to nurture 100 World Champions. Never have I heard him say he want to nurture 100 All England Champions. The importance is just not the same.
Just to share ( correct me if I'm wrong ), LYB's definition of "world champion" includes any team member for major team competitions such as Sudirman Cup and Thomas/Uber Cup, apart from WC, AE and the Olympic. So, players like Chai Biao are also part of that number which the last time I read stood at 70++. Source : Chinese badminton magazine.
But if the player takes part in the 2011 and 2013 Sudirman cup, does that count as 2 "world champions"? Since China won at least 1 Sudirman, 1 Thomas, and 1 Uber cup. That's like 60 "world champions" right there. There's like 20 people on each team. Does Lin dan's 5 WC titles count as just 1 "world champion?"
Only counts as once. They have something like a "world champions" wall of fame. Once every year there is a ceremony where new world champions ( those who win any one of the big 5 for the first time ) get to have their names added to it. Again, source is the mags.
Eventhough, TH has not won any AE title. I am more than 100% sure that TH would not trade his 2004 OG Gold Medal or 2005 WC Gold medal for AE Title.
Just an update, my memory might have failed me, one of the big five could be the now defunct "world cup", not the AE. Would be great if someone else can confirm.