Badminton
Badminton Draw—Tokyo Olympics: Tricky draw for Sindhu, Praneeth, Satwik-Chirag - LIVE updates, fixtures, blog, who plays who?
Tough draw handed to the Tokyo-bound Indian shuttlers - PV Sindhu, Sai Praneeth and Satwik-Chirag. Medal hopes will be really tricky now.
Welcome to The Bridge's LIVE blog of the Tokyo Olympics badminton draw - stay with us as we take you through the expected clashes.
With two weeks remaining before the Musashino Forest Sports Plaza transforms into the hunting ground for ambitious shuttlers at the Tokyo Olympics, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) will decide the fate of the proceedings today. Scheduled to take place between 24th July to 2nd August, badminton at the Tokyo Summer Olympics will feature five categories - men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and finally, mixed doubles.
For India, the badminton draw will play an important role and help predict the chances of the shuttlers setting sail for Tokyo. Led by 2016 Rio silver medallist PV Sindhu and followed by other Olympic debutants like B. Sai Praneeth and the doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty, the draw will play a crucial factor.
The full badminton draw is out now - tough chances for all Indian shuttlers
First, in the Women's Singles, sixth-seeded PV Sindhu is placed in Group J and will have to sail past opponents from Hong Kong China and Israel before moving onto the knock-out stages. Once there, she will potentially face Mia Blichfeldt, followed by Akane Yamaguchi in the quarters, Tai Tzu-ying in the semis and finally, Chen Yufei in the finals.
Second, in the Men's Singles, the thirteenth-seeded Sai Praneeth has a very tricky draw and is placed in Group D. In the group stages, he will have to brave past opponents from Israel and Netherlands. The knockout stages are incredibly demanding of Praneeth as he will have to face Ng Ka Long Angus in the Round of 16, followed by Kento Momota in the quarters, either Viktor Axelsen or Jonatan Christie in the semis and lastly, Chou Tien Chen or Anders Antonsen in the finals.
Lastly, the most difficult group stages draw has been dealt to the dynamic doubles duo of Satwik-Chirag. Placed in Group A, Satwik-Chirag have the World No. 1 Indonesian duo - the Minions to worry about. They also have the Chinese Taipei pair of Lee Yang-Wang Chi-Lin and the British combine of Ben Lane and Sean Vendy to combat with.
Follow all our updates here:
Live Updates
- 8 July 2021 12:55 PM GMT
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.
- 8 July 2021 12:40 PM GMT
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!
- 8 July 2021 12:37 PM GMT
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!
- 8 July 2021 12:33 PM GMT
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.
- 8 July 2021 12:29 PM GMT
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.
- 8 July 2021 12:25 PM GMT
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.
- 8 July 2021 12:22 PM GMT
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!
- 8 July 2021 11:06 AM GMT
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.
- 8 July 2021 10:59 AM GMT
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.
