Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, September 16, 2021: Olympic badminton champion Chen Yufei will spearhead China’s quest for the TotalEnergies BWF Sudirman Cup in Finland later this month.
The 23-year-old world No. 2 has been named in a power-packed Chinese team along with fellow Olympic champions in mixed doubles, Wang Yilyu and Huang Dongping. China has won the world mixed team championship 11 times.
Japan, runners-up in 2019, will be without some of their most accomplished men’s doubles players such as Takeshi Kamura, Keigo Sonoda and Hiroyuki Endo. However, they can count on World Championships runners-up Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi and Akira Koga/Taichi Saito.
Apart from the loss of familiar names in men’s doubles, Japan will have a strong line-up that includes Kento Momota, Nozomi Okuhara, Akane Yamaguchi, Mayu Matsumoto, Wakana Nagahara, Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino.
Indonesia, who will seek to reclaim the title they won in its debut year in 1989, have a team rich with experience. World champions Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan are alongside Marcus Fernaldi Gideon/Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto in men’s doubles.
Olympic champions Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu will head their women’s doubles challenge, backed by Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti/Ribka Sugiarto.
Olympic bronze medallist Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, 2018 Asian Games champion Jonatan Christie and Shesar Hiren Rhustavito lend strength to their men’s singles.
Denmark boasts a full-strength squad led by Olympic men’s singles champion Viktor Axelsen.
The event will run from September 26 to October 3 at Vantaa – the first time for Finland to host a Badminton World Federation major championship.