China has set a moderate goal of two gold medals for the badminton competitions of the 2008 Olympic Games, the national badminton administration said.

Lin Dan

In the remaining three events, the men's singles, men's doubles and double mixed, China should strive to achieve gold, Liu said.

The latest International Badminton Federation rankings show that China holds three and four places respectively out of the top five in women's singles and doubles, and Chinese players lead in all events but double mixed.

However, the seemingly overwhelming advantage didn't help China winning as many titles in Doha Asian Games, as China lost in both the men's and women's single and the men's double.

Officials attributed it to players being too dependent on their coaches during matches and say that former world No. 2 and China's Asian Games flag bearer Bao Chunlai and women's world No. 2 Xie Xingfang are the worst for this.
International team head coach Li Yongbo said he hopes Bao will "obtain a stronger character" as "Bao and Xie are both key players in my plan for 2008."

Li said players will be trained to be more independent from next year and the team has decided not to offer accompanying translators or coaches to help players during international competitions.