[스포티비뉴스=신인섭 기자] Ahn Se-young challenges for the first badminton championship trophy in her career.
Korean badminton’s challenge for its first-ever Asian domination begins in earnest. The men’s and women’s national teams are heading to Qingdao, China with their best strength, showing greater confidence than ever before.
The national badminton team, led by coach Park Joo-bong, left the country through Incheon International Airport on the 1st. The stage is the 2026 Asian Men’s and Women’s Team Badminton Championships, which will be held at the Kon Son Gymnasium in Qingdao, China, starting on the 3rd. This competition, launched in Hyderabad, India in 2016, is held every two years, and this is the sixth competition.
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Korea will send a total of 20 athletes, 10 men and 10 men. Until now, Korea has not reached the top once in this competition. The women’s team reached the finals twice, in 2020 and 2022, but both finished in second place, and the men’s team only won bronze medals four times without even reaching the finals. This is why this competition is attracting attention along with the expression ‘new history’.
Looking at the power alone, expectations are sufficient. The women’s division mobilized virtually all available resources, led by world number one Ahn Se-young. Due to the nature of team competition, the presence of a clear singles card becomes a decisive weapon, and Ahn Se-young is evaluated as someone who can inflict one loss on her opponent the moment she stands on the court. Here, the top-ranked women’s doubles groups are holding on, so the power balance is solid. The men’s division also built a stable power. Korea has a clear goal of winning both men’s and women’s championships.
The competition environment is also friendly to Korea. China and Japan, which are considered strong competitors, did not have elite members this time. Despite the fact that the tournament is held at home, China excluded from the list all women’s doubles groups that are considered the world’s strongest, including Switch, the world’s No. 1 men’s singles team, and Wang Zhiyi (world number 2), Chen Yufei (4th place), and Han Yue (5th place), who are ranked highly in the women’s singles. Japan’s strength also became lighter as key players, including Akane Yamaguchi (3rd), were left out.
This competition is not just a competition for medals. If they reach the semifinals, they will secure the right to participate in the World Men’s and Women’s Team Championships (Thomas Cup and Uber Cup) to be held in Denmark in April. But the national team’s eyes are already looking beyond that. The atmosphere of “this time is different” pervades the entire team.
Korean badminton has repeatedly failed to cross the threshold on the Asian stage. Attention is being paid to whether this expedition to Qingdao, backed by the strongest power and favorable competition structure, can be a turning point in fulfilling a long-held wish.
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