Yearender China sports: Chinese badminton makes history but overshadowed by match-fixing scandal

However China's London sweep was rocked by the biggest scandal to hit the sport in its 20-year Olympic history.

Wang Xiaoli (center) and Yang Yu (left) of China speak to an official during their match against Kim Ha-na and Jung Kyun-eun of South Korea (not pictured) in their women's doubles badminton at the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Wembley Arena in London, on July 31, 2012. [Photo/CFP]

In women's doubles, eight female players, including China's former world No 1 Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli, were disqualified by the BWF for trying to lose deliberately in the final round of group stage in a bid to secure favorable draw in the knock-out stage.

The defending champion Yu even announced her retirement directly after the scandal, which triggered a heated debate about whether the group play format used in London encouraged game-throwing.

"It was the most unforgettable experience in our life. Such a big setback has made us more mature," said Yu, who resumed playing in October.

Despite their three-month absence from competitive badminton, the world champions have shown great resilience, winning three consecutive tournaments since their comeback.

Four months after the scandal, the BWF decided to improve the Olympic competition format to ensure the match-throwing scandal in the London Olympics will never be repeated.

China's dominance was just as complete in the Thomas & Uber Cups. In May, the women's team got a sweet revenge for their loss two years ago by beating South Korea 3-0.

And they did it again in the Thomas Cup final by cruising past South Korea 3-0 to claim their fifth consecutive Thomas Cup title, a record only Indonesia achieved from 1994 to 2002 in the history of these men's team championships.

Coach Li believed his team could even do better. Heading for the Rio 2016, Li said the Chinese team will not only focus on winning matches, but also take on the responsibility to promote the sport and attract more people to play badminton.

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