Paris 2024 badminton group stage draw set as star shuttlers learn who they will face at the upcoming Olympic Games
Ladies and gentlemen, start your birdies!
The badminton group stage draw ceremony for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, which included mixed doubles, women's doubles, women's singles, and men's singles, concluded on 12 July at the BWF Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
The men's doubles draw took place on 15 July.
Watch the full draw with detailed pools here.
Who are the top stars facing in the Paris 2024 badminton competition?
The BWF announced the seeds for the Olympic badminton competition based on the official BWF World Rankings, which were released on 9 July.
In Group A and seeded number one is People's Republic of China's Shi Yu Qi, eager to avenge his semi-final loss to Denmark's Viktor Axelsen at Tokyo 2020. Axelsen, the reigning Olympic champion and two-time world champion, stands tall in Group P, ready to defend his title.
But emerging from Group H could be Indonesia's Anthony Ginting, an Olympic bronze medallist with a score to settle. With Long Chen, his Tokyo semi-final rival, having retired, this could be Ginting's golden opportunity.
Unseeded Lakshya Sen, the "new star of Indian badminton," has been drawn into Group L alongside Jonatan Christie, Kevin Cordon, and Julien Carraggi, making it one of the more challenging groups in the competition.
On the women's side, Carolina Marin of Spain, the Rio 2016 Olympic champion and triple world champion, brings her fiery determination to Group L, aiming to reclaim her throne. Standing in her way is the formidable Yu Fei Chen of China, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion and second seed in Group P.
Group M has India's Pusarla Venkata Sindhu, also known as PV Sindhu, a double Olympic medallist known for her incredible achievements. With a gold medal as the missing piece in her illustrious career, Sindhu is on a mission to complete her collection.
China has both top seeds in the mixed doubles event, with the Olympic silver pair of Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong on the Group A side of the draw, as Olympic gold medallist Huang Dong Ping returns with a new partner in Group D.
Badminton at Paris 2024
Badminton will be held between 27 July and 5 August at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena in the north of Paris.
174 athletes from 48 National Olympic Committees and one competitor from the IOC Refugee Olympic Team have qualified for Paris 2024.
The format of both singles and doubles events is divided into two phases: the group and knockout stages. The knockout stages begin with the round of 16 for singles events and the quarterfinals for doubles events.
Since the sport's debut at Barcelona 1992, China has been the top nation, clinching 47 medals, 20 of which are gold. At Tokyo 2020, they took home an impressive six medals. Indonesia follows in second place with a total of 21 medals, including eight golds. Can China and Indonesia continue their streaks? Or will new European talent cause more disturbances?