just realize that young chinese player TYT was really good.. good attack, good defense, awesome footwork, can cover all back court very well, can match really well with ma jin.. and she is cute anyway..
Time to prepare for bed and looking forward to an interesting final tomorrow. Hope we will have 2 1/2 of good matches.
British commentators should compare UK to Denmark rather than China, and the numerous-population argument will not hold
Hmm in a way it does.....honestly, its quite impressive that the players from a ~6 million country can compete with the world's biggest nation....where badminton is the #1 sport to add. UK, Germany etc just cant compare (to DK).
This is what I meant, because people often say one of the main reasons China is so successful is due to the number of players. It may be enough, but it is not necessary ; Denmark shows that you can still do well even if you do not have a gigantic reservoir of players
Yeah, China is not successful JUST because of their numbers...although you have to be fair and admit they probably have the most players in the world. It IS a factor.
Denmark is a success. Hong Kong and Taiwan individually have bigger populations than Denmark, yet Denmark performs better than these two places.
I don't know about Taiwan. One of the problems in HK is lack of land. Ask how many high schools have a badminton gym. Denmark is much bigger than HK, and I believe most of the high schools have badminton gyms.
Well, I've just seen that KSH/SBC have lost 2nd and 3rd game. Too bad for them, but still, it is a nice result. I hope one day they can reach the finals and maybe win
Funnily enough, a fair number do have badminton courts. I am told badminton is the third most participated sport in HK behind running and swimming. So the situation is a 'relative lack of courts'. I have two 8 court facilities within 10 minutes walk of where I live! 15 minute drive gets me to total 30+ courts in various locations. But to be a professional in HK, I heard HK request a person to leave school at 15 years old (most cases) to join pro training. So, it is a considerable leap of faith to do that and have no backup plan if a person is able to get decent school grades. In the past, the HK players were not allowed to do part time studying. Thankfully, that's changed and I do know of one former professional who obtained a Bachelor's degree whilst on the tour and is now doing a Masters degree (she has retired from badminton). Denmark on the other hand, seems to supports an education together with badminton. We hear of Danish players who do study as well as be professionals.
I think in UK, badminton has got more popular. I hear of clubs where a person must ring up beforehand or risk being turned away at the door (because the club night is full). Certainly this happens in London and it never used to be like that. UK badminton lacks accessibility to coaches. You really have to know the system to be be able to find a coach/coaching course that is accessible and knowing how to take it further than a 'basic grip' and a 'lunge'.