The badminton community was abuzz with anticipation for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games men’s doubles draw. However, in an unexpected turn of events, the draw has been postponed. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) announced that the group stage draw for the men’s doubles event, initially scheduled for Friday, July 12, 2024, will now be conducted on a later date yet to be confirmed.
The postponement follows a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which has led to a revision of the draw schedule. The BWF has confirmed that the men’s doubles draw will now take place on Monday, July 15, 2024, at 4 pm Malaysia time. This decision comes after the CAS ordered the inclusion of the French men’s doubles pair Lucas Corvée and Ronan Labar into the Olympic Games, following a positive response from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to the BWF’s recommendation.
In light of this development, the BWF has published updated regulations for the men’s doubles event to accommodate a 17-pair draw. These regulations have been approved by the BWF Council and accepted by the IOC. The updated rules specify that one of the four groups will now include five pairs, with the group being selected randomly. Additionally, as both French men’s doubles pairs are unseeded and cannot be in the same group, the highest-ranked pair among them will be drawn first, followed by the lower-ranked pair being placed into one of the remaining three groups.
The seeds for the Olympic badminton competition have been determined based on the official BWF World Rankings published on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. The top seeds for the men’s doubles are Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang from China, followed by Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen from Denmark, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty from India, and the Korean pair Kang Min Hyuk/Seo Seung Jae securing the fourth seed.
The badminton community eagerly awaits the rescheduled draw, which promises to be a pivotal moment in the lead-up to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The draw will be broadcast live on BWF TV and BWF’s social media channels, allowing fans worldwide to witness the unfolding of the men’s doubles event.
The Paris 2024 Olympics continue to generate excitement and drama, both on and off the court. With the inclusion of new pairs and the reshuffling of the draw, the men’s doubles badminton event is sure to be a highlight of the Games. Stay tuned for more updates as the world’s best shuttlers prepare to battle it out for Olympic glory.