For first time in 52 years, China fails to snag Asian Games badminton men’s singles medal

Sport The early exits of defending champion Li Shifeng and Shi Yuqi are a rare blip in China’s badminton campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, though it secured medals in every other event. China's Li Shifeng (left) and Shi Yuqi (right) at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. (Photo: Reuters/Eloisa Lopez) NAGOYA, Japan: For the first time in 52 years, China has failed to clinch a medal in the Asian Games men’s singles badminton competition - a setback for the powerhouse amid a sweeping shake-up of the sport’s national governing body.Neither defending champion Li Shifeng nor Shi Yuqi made it past the round of 16 in Aichi-Nagoya, a dramatic reversal from the previous Games in Hangzhou in 2023, when the pair contested an all-Chinese final and swept gold and silver.Their early exits contrast with an otherwise strong showing in Team China’s badminton campaign, with the shuttlers securing medals in all the other events.Li, 26, was the first to fall. He surrendered an opening-game lead against South Korea’s Choi Ji-hoon, 25, on Saturday (Sep 26) to lose 21-18, 19-21, 18-21 in the round of 32. A day later, Shi, 30, suffered a shock 17-21, 23-25 defeat by another South Korean, Yoo Tae-bin, 22, ending his run in the round of 16.Shi is currently world No 4 in men’s singles, while Li is ranked 12th. Yoo is ranked 47th while Choi is ranked 102nd.This is the first time China has failed to reach the podium in badminton men's singles since it began competing at the Asian Games in 1974. China's Shifeng Li in action during his match against Indonesia's Alwi Farhan on Sep 24, 2026 at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Games. (Photo: Reuters/Eloisa Lopez) The country has fared considerably better in the other badminton events.Its women retained the team title gold, while the men took silver after losing 3-2 to Indonesia in the final.Chen Yufei and Wang Zhiyi both took bronze after losing their respective women’s singles semi-finals. There are no bronze-medal playoffs in Asian Games badminton.China has also reached Tuesday’s finals in all three doubles events - men’s, women’s and mixed - guaranteeing at least silver in each on the last day of badminton competition.FORM AND FITNESSLi has attributed his early exit from the Games partly to the toll of Thursday’s team event final, where he lost 21-23, 21-15, 16-21 to Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan in a nearly 90-minute encounter.“My spirits were low … After a day of rest, I really wanted to play well in the first match of the men’s singles but I still couldn’t adjust my form well,” Li said to the media after his men’s singles exit on Saturday.“I know I shouldn’t give up, but I just didn’t do well in the end.”Fellow shuttler Shi, meanwhile, has spoken about struggling for form and fitness heading into the Games, adding that he was affected by previous injuries. China's Shi Yuqi in action during his match against Indonesia's Jonatan Christie on Sep 24, 2026 during the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Games. (Photo: Reuters/Eloisa Lopez) "Coming to the Asian Games this time, I didn't have much confidence in myself,” Shi said.The disappointing Asian Games showing follows a similar setback for China’s men’s singles players at last month’s World Championships in New Delhi, where none reached the quarter-finals.Shi and compatriot Weng Hongyang were both eliminated in the opening round, while Li lost to Japan’s Kodai Naraoka in the round of 16.China has a long record of success in men’s singles, with past Olympic champions including Lin Dan and Chen Long.SHAKE-UP OFF THE COURTThe Asian Games results also come during a turbulent period at the Chinese Badminton Association (CBA), with several senior officials being probed.In April, state media reported that then-CBA president Zhang Jun had been placed under investigation for suspected “serious violations of discipline and law”, a common euphemism for corruption.A two-time Olympic champion, Zhang began coaching the national team in 2007 and was elected president of the association in January 2019. In August, CBA vice-president Xia Xuanze, as well as former vice-president and secretary-general Wang Wei, also came under investigation for similar offences.On Sep 8, less than two weeks before the Games in Aichi-Nagoya opened, senior sports official Zhang Xin was elected CBA president, filling the post previously held by Zhang Jun.Another sports official, Li Lun, was elected vice-president, while Xia was removed from his post.Zhang Xin, who is not related to Zhang Jun, has vowed to crack down on corruption and “purge industry chaos”.The national governing body for badminton would “resolutely carry the fight against corruption through to the end, (and) draw lessons from these cases”, said Zhang Xin, as quoted in a Sep 8 report by the South China Morning Post.He also said the CBA would “simultaneously advance the goal of ensuring officials do not dare, are not able, and have no desire to be corrupt”.