The entries for 2017 AE were certainly more impressive than the 2017 WC. The AE has always being the number in many people's minds. The WC had many entrants who were never heard of. LCW is almost 35, he did great, just like Lin Dan said, who in the world can play like him at 34 in the WC final? No one.
Thats mostly because of the limitation that only 2 (or 3?) players from any one Nation can play. Saying that the field was weaker is a stretch though, it might be true in the very first round, but after that, half the participants are eliminated and most of the weak entries are out. Winning a tournament of that calibre is almost always the same difficulty, with the difference that most players actually prepare extra well for the WC and try to peak at that time of year, so most top players are in slightly better shape than at most SS/PSS tournaments.
Dream on... after LCW plays his last match in Asian Games next year and retires, MAS MS is history. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
LCW should be good for AE next year and AG. VA maybe a new problem for him at AE but the others are his usual rivals. LD should be there. CL maybe......... Shi Yuqi he is clueless not yet top flight. AG all the Asian guys will be there minus VA. I think only LD and CL stand on his way to AG gold.
That's right. Just because the majors like WC and OG have lowly ranked players participating for the sake of worldwide representation doesn't mean the competition is weak as compared with or weaker than any of the PSS/SS. Remember the Guatemalan Kevin Cordon, the Sri Lankan Niluka Karunaratne, and how about the Brazilian Ygor Coelho lately, certainly no pushovers, and you can add a couple others who've caused shock upsets ? Suffice to say that any tournament with the likes of Lin Dan, LCW, Chen Long, and now VA, SWH, KS, if you like Kento Momota who's making a comeback, CTC, and suchlike, all of them on duty in the same tournament is surely as strong as it can get. Bear in mind, the whole point is to win the title, not only to get past the early rounds, what's the use of that. And with every aspirant fully prepared to the hilt physically and mentally to capture the highest accolade, with or without prize money though the winners do get substantial rewards back home in cash and/or in kind, who is to say it is not the most coveted and toughest tournament for any athlete ? Even the SEA Games is important enough for some of the players to skip the WC for it with some BAs selectively weighing their chances on which players to send to which event where there's a clash of schedule, what more the World Championships and the Olympics. I'm afraid the All England, dubbed by many players as the unofficial mini-WC, is not on par with either the WC or the OG - just ask any of the players. At most the AE stands out as the preeminent PSS/SS tournaments for its long tradition, hundred over years history, the de facto world championship once upon a time, and for nostalgic reasons but I'm absolutely sure no right-minded player will trade the WC or OG for it, no way. Just ask LCW what he's willing to give up for that elusive WC/OG gold. At the same time, there's no denying the fact that BWF, since the inception of the Superseries in 2007, has officially relegated the AE to one of the five Premier SS and it's not regarded as equivalent to the level of WC and OG, and in the latest BWF revamped structure, the AE, together with the other four PSS, is placed just below the year-end Superseries finale, The SSF. I mean, the particular player(s) or fans' personal preferences or expressed priority is one thing, the reality is another.
I wouldnt put too much weight on the BWF structure though - I'm pretty sure any player will want to win the AE more than the SS finals. I fully agree that almost no pro will put the AE over the WC, and none will value it more than an OG Gold.
once a year WC is a bit too much. takes a toll on the players. FIFA is only once every 4 years. OG is also once in 4. May ne better only if WC is once in 2?
For some , perhaps, most, the prize money difference matters. Never mind, that's secondary to the point I'm making. On the SSF, I , personally, feel it should be for the top 16 players/pairs rather than top 8 as it tends to be somewhat arbitrary as certain top players/pairs may for unforeseen circumstances be excluded, not to mention WR or SSF Standings aren't necessarily a true or accurate reflection of the players' relative strengths. I understand the pros and cons of both sides of the argument but what's the harm of enlarging the pool of qualifiers ? What irks me most is, for example, a certain player who suddenly rises to clinch the last three PSS/SS titles by the cut-off date but still barely misses out at No.9 in the standing, or a top player failing to make the cut for taking an injury break. Perhaps it's to partly address this deficiency that BWF is awarding the reigning world champions in each category automatic qualifications, so why not go further and tweak the qualification criteria ? Yes, it may mean based on the existing structure that we would have to set up a 4x4 groups for the preliminary rounds and followed by the top two in each group advancing to the Quarterfinals elimination stage, essentially altering it to a six-round tournament instead of five (well, as such the aged players are possibly disadvantaged). Alternatively, make it a straight elimination format from the opening round to the end as in all the PSS/SS tourneys. Just my thoughts.
Having the WC as a biennial event instead of annual is not a bad idea, and, understandably and preferably, hold it in the odd years so as not to clash with the Olympics usually held in the even years. At the same time, I think it'd be good to try to avoid clashing with either the Thomas & Uber Cup or the Sudirman Cup in the same year though avoiding both would be hard to do, next to impossible, if we also don't want the team majors to be held in the same year as the WC/OG.
Oh, btw, one more point. Badminton is a one-on-one competition, it's not as if the entire CHN team can gang up against LCW, and it also depends on the luck of the draw and whether each one of them can progress to meet LCW. More importantly, the rest of the world are not going to just roll over for LCW, never ever. Most importantly, as LCW himself admitted, he has to beat all the best opponents to become world champion, needless to say, that applies to everyone else. Cheers.
by having it yearly, wc has lost its prestige. unless the player(s) can defend the title. even so, it is shocking that lcw has never (and will never) win it. guess China couldn't allow it.
It's not up to China or any MAs, the best performing player wins it. If you're referring to the WC being changed to a biennial event, China has little to no say.
Who cares if he doesn't win OG and WC lol.. he still have plenty of fan who enjoying his playing style including me. Sport is unique, it doesn't only rely on title/trophy (I know it is important) for people to like or enjoy watching him.
I nearly wanted to retire "TO be frank, I could have been writing today’s column as a former national player. I have to admit that I nearly decided to retire from badminton a month ago after my first round loss (to Brice Leverdez of France) at the World Championships in Scotland in August. I felt empty and I could not accept my defeat at the time. I had worked hard to prepare for the tournament and I certainly did not expect to lose in the first round. It was a bitter pill to swallow at the time. ................"
LCW is always given the chance to play on. He had contributed more just by himself then any body else from BAM. 100 finals. Simply because the country can not produced another like him. Not in 20 years given the current state of affairs. Politicians have no business in running a sports outfit. Of course these are just my personal opinions.
"I'm the old man here but I'll not make it easy on the youngsters. I'll give them a good fight," said Chong Wei. souce: Thestar:
If you googling with "I'm the old man here but I'll not make it easy on the youngsters. I'll give them a good fight" the second result is about Naruto wiki. Easy win for 'old man' Chong Wei at Denmark Open ODENSE: Lee Chong Wei marched into the men's singles second round at the Danisa Denmark Open with a 21-12, 21-16 win over Pablo Abian of Spain. He will take on H.S. Prannoy of India at the Odense Sports Park on Thursday. Chong Wei, who will turn 35 on Saturday, said revenge was on his mind after losing to the Indian in the second round of the Indonesian Open this year. "I'm the old man here but I'll not make it easy on the youngsters. I'll give them a good fight," said Chong Wei. "I lost to Prannoy at the Indonesian Open. It'll be tough but I'll be prepared to face him." http://www.thestar.com.my/sport/badminton/2017/10/19/easy-win-for-lee-chong-wei-denmark-open/
