Badminton to shake off scandals at Rio

SEOUL, South Korea – Badminton at the Rio Olympics will try to shake off multiple scandals and adapt to a rule change many consider an attempt to curb Chinese dominance.

Seen as backyard fun by many Americans, the sport is serious business for millions in Asia and parts of Europe, where thousands pack stadiums to watch players who are household names.

It’s less popular in Brazil, and that has some players worried about what’s in store for them.

Those who tune in will see an appealing blend of power, speed and agility, with long rallies that can seem like video games as the shuttle whizzes back and forth across the net and players stretch like gymnasts to parry smashes that can reach speeds of well above 100 miles per hour.

Here’s a look at what to expect in Rio from a game named after a 19th century English duke’s country house:

Scandals

Badminton has been rocked by scandal in recent years and is hoping the Olympics will provide a chance to move on.

At the 2012 games in London, two South Korean women’s doubles teams along with a Chinese and an Indonesian team were disqualified for trying to lose early matches so they could get better draws in the knockout round.

Two of the disgraced South Koreans, Kim Ha-na and Jeong Kyung-eun, made the Olympics team for Rio. “Time has passed and I’ve moved on and grown up,” Kim said recently. “Although I still have bad memories, I will never make the same mistake again.”

The current No. 1 men’s singles player, Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia, served an eight-month ban for doping. Lee said he took an anti-inflammatory drug inadvertently, and a panel said he had been negligent, rather than intending to cheat.