New Delhi: World No.3 ranked pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty recevied a draw in the men’s doubles category for the Paris Olympics later this month. The draws were held by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Monday (July 15) after being postponed by a couple of days.
Satwik and Chirag, India’s top ranked pair, are considered as third seed at the Paris Olympics based on their world rankings. The Indian shuttlers are placed in Group C along with Indonesian pair of Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto (World No.6), German pair of Mark Lamsfuss and Marvin Seidel (World No.31) French pair of Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar (World No.43).
The men’s doubles group stage draw was originally scheduled on Friday (July 12) along with the draws of other categories for the quadrennial showpiece event. However, the BWF announced the postponement of the men’s draw because of a case hearing of Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The French pair contested their exclusion from the Olympics qualification because of an miscalculation error from the BWF.
The CAS verdict was ruled in favour of the French pair, and as a result, there will be a total of 17 pairs competing at the Paris Olympics, instead of the regular norm of 16 teams.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty favourite for medal hopes
The Indian badminton pair has been one of the consistent athletes from the Indian Olympics contingent. The duo won Commonwealth Games gold in Birmingham 2022 and Asian Games gold in Hangzhou 2023. The pair won five titles in 2023 to make a quantum jump at World No.1 in men’s doubles.
The ‘Brothers of Destruction’ have won two titles this year – French Open 2024 in March and Thailand Open 2024 in May – besides appearing for two other finals in Malaysia Open and India Open at the start of the year.
The Paris Olympics 2024 badminton events will be played between July 27 and August 5.
World No.3 ranked pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty recevied a draw in the men’s doubles category for the Paris Olympics later this month. The draws were held by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Monday (July 15) after being postponed by a couple of days. Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
