Badminton Asia Championships 2024: Preview, full schedule, and how to watch live action
Many of the world's best badminton players will be in action in Ningbo, People's Republic of China, from 9–14 April for the 2024 Badminton Asia Championships.
Across badminton's five events, of the top 100 players or pairs (top 20 per event), 89 come from Asia. They will go head-to-head with each other once more for continental bragging rights in one of the last major events to award Olympic qualification ranking points.
With the window for ranking points closing at the end of April, performances in the continental championships can make or break players' hopes of qualifying for Paris 2024.
But who are the stars to watch at the Badminton Asia Championships 2024?
As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective teams at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at Paris 2024 depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation.
Badminton Asia Championships 2024: Tough tests for top singles players
The men's singles draw has thrown up some interesting match-ups. While the top seed normally has, on paper, the easiest draw, China's Shi Yuqi might not be thanking his lucky stars.
Shi, the world number two, faces world number 13 Lakshya Sen of India in the opening round, with a potential last-16 clash against the world number 12 Nishimoto Kenta or world number 10 Loh Kean Yew, the 2021 world champion.
World number three and second seed Anthony Ginting has an easier draw on paper, with his first opponent being world number 27 Kidambi Srikanth of India. But Kidambi is a former world number one in his own right and will not be a walkover.
Ginting's compatriot Jonatan Christie, the third seed, will face a far more straightforward match in theory, having been drawn to play one of four qualifiers, while Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia will take on Indian prospect Priyanshu Rajawat.
Women's top seed An Seyoung of Republic of Korea will have to deal with the resurgent Okuhara Nozomi in the first round in what is a tantalising clash. Okuhara, a former world number one and 2016 Olympic bronze medallist, had an injury-hit 2022 but has reached three finals in her last eight World Tour events dating back to the end of 2023, winning two.
Olympic champion Chen Yufei will fancy her chances in the other half of the draw against world number 16 Supanida Katethong of Thailand, while the third, fourth, and fifth seeds – Tai Tzu-Ying, Yamaguchi Akane, and He Bingjiao respectively – will each face qualifiers.
Badminton Asia Championships 2024 schedule
Play will take place over six days as follows:
- Tuesday 9 April - Qualification, Round of 32
- Wednesday 10 April - Round of 32
- Thursday 11 April - Round of 16
- Friday 12 April - Quarter-finals
- Saturday 13 April - Semi-finals
- Sunday 14 April - Finals
The exact order of play will be published before each day.
How to watch the Badminton Asia Championships 2024 live
The Badminton Asia Championships 2024 will be live streamed on YouTube, as well as broadcast on various TV partners.
In Malaysia, Astro Arena and Astro SuperSport 4 will broadcast the competition. In Singapore, SPOTV is expected to carry the later rounds of the event.
You can also keep up to date with all the action through Olympics.com's daily round-ups from Ningbo.