Chinese Badminton

He's retired sometime last year, quit for good, and married Li Xuerui who also hung up her racquet late last year.

 

Sadly, the return of both Lin Guipu and Gao Fangjie who were originally entered for the Austrian Open 2020 IC will be delayed as they have been pulled out of the said tournament owing to the new coronavirus outbreak (pandemic?). It's CBA's decision to withdraw all its players from the Austrian IC as well as the Yonex Dutch Junior International 2020 this month.

Other CHN players affected include Weng Hongyang, Lei Lanxi, Bai Yupeng, Li Yun, Wei Yaxin, Zhou Meng, and other junior players.

Reported here https://sports.sina.com.cn/others/badmin/2020-02-06/doc-iimxyqvz0640394.shtml

Lin Guipu has waited for four years while Gao Fangjie for about a year to attempt a comeback but it has to be put on hold due to unforeseen circumstances, thanks to a virus whose interim name is nCoV19 (or 2019-nCoV, or simply new coronavirus or aka Wuhan virus).

 

The whole CHN contingent is also pulled out of the Spain Masters 2020, Feb 18-23. Though MD Liu Cheng/Huang Kaixiang's names remained in the players list due to an oversight by CBA, it's unlikely the pair alone will go.

One chance less for Lin Dan to improve his Race to Tokyo Standing. News source https://sports.sina.com.cn/others/badmin/2020-02-08/doc-iimxxste9790987.shtml

 

Yes, Deng Yaping liaised with the English side and made the necessary arrangement, but as a small number of the players and coaches haven't got their visas yet, only 70% of them will set off for England today, 15th Feb. The All England starts on the 11th March, sufficient time for the CHN contingent to meet the host country's demand that CHN players arrive at least two weeks before the tournament starts (the so-called self-quarantine period).

The other thing is the German Open to be held on the 3rd March is still not yet a certainty as the German authority due to concerns with the Covid19 epidemic perhaps fear player-to-player contacts with China athletes and as such has earlier written to the BWF to suggest shortening the OG deadline. However, if the German BA views favourably the English BA's approval of the Chinese contingent arriving in England at least two weeks prior to the All England, then there should be no problem for CHN taking part in the German Open too, and likewise for the Swiss Open as well, I suppose.

I should think the rest of the tournaments in other countries, such as the IND Open and the MAS Open that follows would be reassured by the CBA's move. Furthermore, Zhang Jun has expressed assurance that since the start of the epidemic the entire CHN team and support staff have been in confinement during training at the training center, everything is normal, nobody has fallen sick, anyone who leaves their room makes sure they put on a mask; the hostel's cleaning staff, cooks and regular bus drivers, etc, have all been observing stringent rules of personal hygiene as part of the implementation of strict infection prevention and control measures.

 

Hopefully, I think the rest will get their visas these few days. Anyway, it's largely thanks to Deng Yaping's connections and the other party's goodwill that Team CHN will get to train at the University of Nottingham, England, for two weeks.
https://sports.sina.com.cn/others/badmin/2020-02-15/doc-iimxxstf1623492.shtml

Incidentally, the University of Nottingham is where Deng Yaqiong graduated with an MRes in Contemporary Chinese Studies in 2002 before being awarded an honorary doctorate in 2013 by Cambridge University. According to Wikipedia, her life after retirement with respect to academic pursuits:-
"After retiring at the end of the 1997 season, Deng served on the International Olympic Committee's ethics and athletes commissions. She is also a member of the elite Laureus World Sports Academy, and a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
She gained a bachelor's degree from Tsinghua University, a master's degree from the University of Nottingham, and as of March 2006,[1] was continuing to study for a PhD. in Land Economy at the University of Cambridge (Jesus College).[2] Her research work coincides with her professional focus on the marketing, management and development of the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a member of the Beijing Organizing Committee...
In 2008, she received a PhD degree from Cambridge. Her thesis title is: "The impact of the Olympic Games on Chinese development: A multi-disciplinary analysis".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/spotlight/2002/05/highflyer_nottingham.shtml
https://cbi.typepad.com/china_direc...ury-a-tale-of-ping-pong-sports-diplomacy.html
http://www.womenofchina.cn/womenofchina/html1/news/sports/9/5758-1.htm - Former Table Tennis Champion Granted PhD Degree at Cambridge