KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s top men’s doubles duo Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik will not have to play an extra match in the Paris Olympics group stages after being drawn in Group A today.
World number five pair Aaron and Wooi Yik, bronze medallists from the previous Games in Tokyo, are in the same group as world number ones and top seeds Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang of China, England’s Ben Lane and Sean Vendy, and Canada’s Adam Dong and Nyl Yakura.
Due to an earlier calculation error in the qualification rankings by the Badminton World Federation, the men’s doubles draw was forced to be delayed.
As a result, a total of 17 pairs, among them France’s late inclusions Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar, will compete at the Paris Games instead of the original 16.
Only the top two pairs from each of the four groups, A to D, will advance to the quarter-finals.
Denmark’s world number two pair Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, China’s Liu Yuchen and Ou Xuanyi, defending champions Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin from Taiwan, Vinson Chiu and Joshua Yuan from the United States, and former world champions Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi of Japan will all play an extra match after being drawn in Group D, which has five pairs.
Paris Olympics men’s doubles draw
Group A:
Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang (Chn)
Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (Mas)
Ben Lane-Sean Vendy (Eng)
Adam Dong-Nyl Yakura (Can)
Group B:
Kang Min-hyuk-Seo Seung-jae (Kor)
Christo Popov-Toma Junior Popov (Fra)
Supak Jomkoh-Kittinupong Kedren (Tha)
Ondrej Kral-Adam Mendrek (Cze)
Group C:
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty (Ind)
Lucas Corvee-Ronan Labar (Fra)
Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardianto (Ina)
Mark Lamsfuss-Marvin Seidel (Ger)
Group D:
Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen (Den)
Liu Yuchen-Ou Xuanyi (Chn)
Lee Yang-Wang Chi-lin (Tai)
Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi (Jpn)
Vinson Chiu-Joshua Yuan (USA)
– July 15, 2024