When you think of Olympic sports, badminton may not be the first to come to mind, and it certainly isn’t the one that takes center stage.
But those who play it are looking to change that.
They say badminton is fiercely competitive and far from a backyard sport.
NBC4 spoke with young badminton players and one of the coaches at the Global Badminton Academy in Pomona where some members of Team USA, including Vinson Chiu, 25, of Newport Beach, trained.
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“I’m as a coach very proud of him,” said Tony Gunawan, who trained Chiu and several other Olympic athletes who are making their debut in Paris.
“He showed his level can be competing with the top of the world.”
Young athletes said they had been watching the badminton competition and hope they, too, can one day become Olympians.
“I love how exciting it can be sometimes,” said Tiger Chen, 16, who started playing badminton when he was 5 years old.
The sport is also quick, competitive and gaining steam in the U.S.
“People know badminton as a backyard sport, but it’s very intense. It requires everything” said Gunawan, who played for Team USA at the 2012 London Games. He also won a gold medal when he competed for his home country, Indonesia, where he said badminton is as popular as basketball is here in the U.S.
“It’s been a long time,” he said. “We all try. It’s always chicken and egg. We need investment to get top players, but also sponsors need results to give sponsorships,” he said.
Badminton players have high hopes that their sport will propel in popularity just in time for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, where they hope they can have a chance to compete.
“Right now, it's daily training. Once school starts, maybe a little less training. But still keeping it up. Consistence,” said Chen. “Hopefully I can compete with them in four years.”
