Badminton Draw—Tokyo Olympics: Tricky draw for Sindhu, Praneeth, Satwik-Chirag - LIVE updates, fixtures, blog, who plays who?
The draw will begin shortly!
We are down to the last 5 minutes before the badminton draw begins at the National Badminton Centre in England!
Let's sincerely hope that the Indian shuttlers are offered a kind draw and their path is not beset with a lot of obstacles.
Satwik-Chirag will enter Tokyo Olympics as the 'dark horse'
Touted as the underdogs in the Indian badminton contingent, the young duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are hopeful for success at the Tokyo Olympics where they are set to debut!
Here's a fun video of the dynamic doubles pair!
Find out about India's medal prospects in badminton from an expert
With just half an hour remaining before the badminton draw is announced, let's take a quick read of what 10-time National Champion Manjusha Kanwar had to say about Indian badminton's medal prospects at the Tokyo Games.
Read the piece here!
PV Sindhu will have a lot of expectations to cater to
All eyes will be on PV Sindhu who will enter the Tokyo Olympics seeded sixth in the world. Looking to upgrade her silver to a gold at the Tokyo Games, PV Sindhu will be desperate for a medal. A lot of this will depend on the draw she is handed out today.
Chen Long will return to defend his gold
Notably, Chen Long will be the only shuttler to come defend his gold at the Tokyo Olympics singles events. On the women's front, Carolina Marin will be unable to participate in the Games owing to an injury.
Sai Praneeth will hope for a good draw at the Tokyo Olympics
For India, Sai Praneeth will be the lone hope in the men's singles event as the 2019 World Championships bronze medallist dares to venture where no male Indian shuttler has gone before.
As we wait impatiently for the Tokyo Olympics badminton draw to be announced, let's remember some of the returning legends of the sport who will feature in Tokyo!
How will the badminton draw operate?
In the singles events, there will be groups of 3-4 shuttlers divided over 12-16 camps who will fight it out amongst themselves in the round robin matches. Following the format of group play followed by knock-outs, the top player from each of the groups will proceed to the Round of 16.
In the doubles category, the shuttlers will be divided into groups of 4. Out of that, the top two performers from every group will move onto the Round of 16 knockout stages of the Tokyo Olympics.
Can Tai Tzu-ying finally win an Olympic medal?
World No. 1 Tai Tzu-ying has practically every feather in her cap from the badminton tour. However, an Olympic medal is largely missing from her collection.
To find out about her chances - read this.
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