I like the two reasons given by you! I am totally agree with you! I think the reasons given by you are the answers that most Bcers like the most!
Obviously when you read, you do not read in the whole when you post this comment, I'm merely agreeing with one of our friends in the BC who suggested that the whole population of Canada is lesser than the number of high level club players in China. Again our friend who suggested that and I could be wrong, thanks to your statistics. However, who defines that high level club players are only limited to 15-30 years? Have you not seen a golden oldies in the 60s beats the pulp out of a up and coming young 18 years old by precisions and guiles.
I don't know if it is/was intended to be a lighthearted joke or what but I often heard numerous people saying that the Chinese are naturally good at any sports that requires a paddle or extended paddle. So far, it proves, they excel in ping pong and badminton. Squash and tennis, not so much in relative terms.
Hi guys, From what I see, since the point system changed, world badminton changed with it. Today the requirement are different. China start dominating a few yrs after the system was implemented. LD, LCW etc. start to shines while we could see previous stars TH, PG etc fading... Especially in Malaysia, previous stars like Roslin Hashim and Wong Choong Han seems can't adapt to the fast attacking style badminton. They are more towards patient style of play. Previously badminton was played with artistic style but today, don't care bout it. The bird must be kill ASAP or you'll lose point. Deceptive shot are lesser now but deceptive body movement are increasing. Just an opinion...
I don't think squash is played much in China, I could be wrong... But Tennis for sure is a rich man's sport.... and is very expensive to play, plues the fact Asian's physique are not nearly as comparable as Westerners in this generation.
I think the answer below answers a big part of the question. The other parts can be answered by China's in depth history of badminton which serves as a national treasure in terms of a pool of knowledge. As well as the country's love for the sport, lots of hard work and preparation and Key figures such as Li Yong Bo as Thom Bad has mentioned
1. having a bigger population pool does help as you have a higher probability of generating talent 2. having a higher popular interest in the sports help as there will be a higher probability of a physical talent playing the sports HOWEVER this is all probabilities, not because you buy 5 lotto tickets and your friend buys 1 that he wont win, putting all the countries together, other nations probably have an equal if not higher probability of generating talents like LD, Gade and Taufik it all comes down to how much $$ is invested in the sports and the quality of coaching China is hellbent on showing their superiority from all angles and the 2008 Olympics was a strong example with over 50 golds... (if the US didnt have Phelps, the rest of the world would look pathetic in comparison). Personally I would like diversity for the sport (table tennis has become a bit boring because of the Chinese domination). BUT if China is the only country that can bring us the best quality of play... as a spectator and fan, I really dont care
It is all about the system and coaching. Malaysia has a bigger population than the Netherlands, etc. but why can't they excell at football? It's the same with badminton. A bigger base does matter, but past that initial stage it is just all because of coaching and all. Some talents just go off undiscovered. End of story.
You all missed a truth: a 2009 survey shows China has 250 million badminton population,40 million out of which are frequenters in indoor badminton fields. think about pingpang if you dont understand its link to dominance. If this is factor 1, then the other two indeed help a lot: ample fundings and pretty nice training environment(coaches+venues).
Badminton crazy nations like Malaysia and Indonesia failed to dominate the sports in recent year. They have all the essentials; government funding, interested population, coach and facility. I believe it had to do with a missing link between the national level and local club level. I believe the club level in Malaysia and Indonesia is on par or perhaps has higher standard than in China. For some reason lots of young budding talent from these countries seems to fail to shine at international level or simply not recognized or being channel into a proper training programme. I feel that it has to do with the sports not being managed properly at national level. Politics may come into play? Maybe, but I don’t’ know. It takes an effective management to bring forward the best. Something about the Chinese badminton association at national level that has been striking the right chord all along and not just the sheer size of Chinese population. IMHO..
China may have 40 million indoor badminton players. But how many percent of them are middle aged amateurs like me? If you go to any of the 10+ clubs in the bay area, you can see 95% of the players are middle aged playing after work or during lunch break. Don't forget badminton is any expensive sport. Unlike Malaysia and Indonesia which there are no wind in the afternoon (my Indonesian and Malaysian friends told me that), it's hard to play outdoor in most of the places in China. If we want to compare badminton population relative to badminton dominance, we should compare the serious indoor players under 25 years old. Who has that statistics?
Because Chinese can't play any other sports, except ping pong. Just joking... But you also have to consider the population of China. For every best player in Indonesia, there are 5 equally good players in China. For Malaysia, there are 46. And consider that you can't really improve when there is nobody to match your level.
Agreed. Also don't forget, most if not almost all the pro players from INA and MAS are of Chinese ethnicity! Even if their names don't sound Chinese, their ancestral ethnic origins are from China!
Sorry but this makes no sense to me. Dominant is relative; if other countries are crap, then China is dominant. "My grandma plays better than Chinese players, but other countries are worse." This makes more sense. No offense to anyone, just saying.
