Scurrying across the court for Australia, Beijing 2008 doubles pair Glenn Warfe and Ross Smith look set to embark on their second Olympic campaign. Warfe won gold and silver medals at the 2003 Australian Youth Olympic Festival (AYOF) before combining with Smith to win the 2008 Oceania Championships and compete at the 2008 Olympics. Unfortunately Warfe, Smith and Australia’s badminton contingent were all knocked out in their opening matches in Beijing. Looking to London, the goal for the Australians is to qualify a doubles pair into the quarter finals.
In the women’s doubles, Renuga Veeran and Leanne Choo forged a successful 2011 campaign that looks set to see them alongside Warfe and Smith when the London Olympic Games kick off. The pairing rocketed into the top 30 after the back of some solid results as they looked to build for 2012 and book their tickets on the plane to their first Olympic Games.
The doubles pairings will likely be joined by women’s singles player Victoria Na who is also looking to make her Olympic debut after returning to the sport less than a year ago.
The Australians will have a tough battle on their hands with the likes of the Asian countries as well as a resurgent Scandinavia, but a quarter final contest would match Australia’s best ever result (in women’s singles and doubles in 1992) - and from there, anything is possible. The action will unfold at Wembley arena, home of many major sport events and music performances.
BADMINTON FORMAT
Athletes will vie for three gold medals at the London Games - men’s and women’s team events as well as the women’s individual event. All medal events begin with a preliminary stage. Competitors are divided into groups, and each player or doubles pair contests everyone else in their group.
The top players/doubles pairs from this stage (16 in each singles event, eight pairs in each doubles event) will qualify for the knockout stage of the competition, which will eventually decide the winners of the medals.
Badminton matches are played over the best of three games, and each game is won by the first player or doubles pair to reach 21 points by a margin of two clear points (if the score reaches 29-29, the winner of the next point wins the game). Only the serving side can score. The first server is determined by a coin toss at the beginning of the game, with the winner deciding whether to serve first or pick an end of the court.
QUALIFICATION AND SELECTION
Australia is hoping to qualify six athletes in doubles (men, women, mixed) and potentially a singles player. Athletes are already playing for their positions with the qualification window open for one year from May 2011- May 2012. Quota places will be determined on 3 May 2012 when the Badminton World Federation releases its ranking list.
For all the Nomination and Selection documentation click here>>>
AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC HISTORY
Anna Lao and Rhonda Cator were Australia’s first badminton representatives, in Barcelona 1992. Lao made it through to the quarter-finals in the women’s singles and, with Cator, finished in the same position in the women’s doubles. Australia has been represented at each Games since Barcelona but Lao and Cator’s results still remain the best achieved to date. London 2012 provides the next opportunity to strive for a podium finish.
To read more about Australia’s Olympic badminton history, click here>>>