Badminton players with most appearances at Olympics

Kevin Gordon and Pablo Abian will play their fifth Olympic Games.

Badminton, an official Olympic sport since the 1992 Barcelona Games, has witnessed participation from 77 nations across nine editions. 18 countries have featured at all nine editions, while Nepal, El Salvador and Kazakhstan are the latest entrants to the list. China lead the medal tally with 47 medals, followed by Indonesia with 21 and Korea with 20.

So far, 12 countries have won at least one medal at the Summer Games. China top the medal tally with 47 medals (20 gold, 12 silver, 15 bronze) followed by Indonesia with 21 medals (eight gold, six silver, seven bronze) and Korea with 20 medals (six gold, seven silver, seven bronze). India rank joint ninth with three medals (two silver, one bronze).

Many players have participated more than once. Let’s look at the shuttlers who have the most appearances at the Olympics:

Robert Mateusiak (5)

The Polish badminton player, Robert Mateusiiak, participated in five Summer Games: 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016. At the 2000 Games, he and his partner, Michał Logosz, played in the men’s doubles. They were defeated in the Round of 16. During the 2004 Olympics, the same duo represented Poland and again lost in the Round of 16. At the 2008 Olympics, Mateusiak competed in two events: men’s doubles and mixed doubles.

He reached the quarter-finals in both categories, partnering with Michał Logosz for the men’s doubles and Nadieżda Kostiuczyk for the mixed doubles. In the 2012 Olympics, he only participated in the mixed doubles with Nadieżda. They advanced to the quarter-finals, but were ousted by the Chinese pair. Similarly, in 2016, they reached the quarter-finals but fell to the Malaysian duo.

Boonsak Ponsana (5)

The 2006 Asian Championships silver medalist, Boonsak, also participated in five Olympics (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016). At his debut Olympics, he was defeated in Round 1 by a Great Britain athlete. The 2004 Olympics marked his best performance, where he finished in a heartbreaking fourth position.

He overcame Chris Dednam of South Africa in R1, Lee Hyun-il of South Korea in R2 and Ronald Susilo of Singapore in the QF. However, he lost to Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia in the SF and in the bronze medal match, he was defeated by Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia. In the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, he faced group stage exits.

Pablo Abian (5)

The veteran from Spain will be competing in his fifth Olympics He has played in the 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020 Olympics. 2024 will mark his fifth Olympic appearance. In 2008, he lost to Kęstutis Navickas of Lithuania in the first round.

In 2012, he became the first Spanish player to win a match in the Olympic Games, defeating Petr Koukal of the Czech Republic in Round 1, but lost to Taufik Hidayat in the subsequent round. In the 2016 and 2020 Olympics, he was eliminated in the group stage.

Kevin Gordon (5)

The Guatemalan player, who had a dream Olympics last time where he finished fourth and completely surprised everyone, will also be playing in his fifth Olympics in Paris. He participated in the 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020 Olympics. The 2024 Olympics will be his fifth appearance. In 2008, he made his Olympic debut and lost to a Chinese player in the first round. In the 2012 Olympics, he won both his group matches and reached the R16 but lost to Sho Sasaki of Japan. In the 2016 Olympics, he sustained an injury in his opening match and thus did not play further.

His best Olympic performance came in 2020, where he finished in fourth place, surprising everyone. He defeated eighth seed, Ng Ka Long Angus of Hong Kong, in the group stage, thus reaching the R16, where he defeated Mark Caljouw of the Netherlands to reach the QF. He then defeated Heo Kwang-hee of Korea to reach the semi-finals. He lost to Viktor Axelsen in the semis and to Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in the bronze medal match, thus finishing fourth.

Lin Dan (4)

The badminton GOAT, Lin Dan, has competed in four Olympics (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016). He won gold in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. In the 2004 Olympics, he was eliminated in the Round of 32, while in 2016, he finished fourth.

Lee Chong Wei (4)

One of the world’s best badminton players, Lee Chong Wei, also competed in four Olympics (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016). He won silver in the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympics and was eliminated in the R16 in 2004.

Ratchanok Intanon (4)

The Thai player, Ratchanok, nicknamed “May,” will be competing in her fourth Olympics. She has participated in the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Olympics. The 2024 Olympics will be her fourth. She has never won an Olympic medal and aims to achieve this milestone.

Tai Tzu-ying (4)

The “Deception Queen,” Tai Tzu-ying, will also compete in her fourth Olympics. She has participated in the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Olympics. She won the silver medal in the 2020 Olympics after losing to Chen Yufei in the finals.

Michelle Li (4)

The Canadian player, Michelle Li, will also compete in her fourth Olympics. She has participated in the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Olympics. The 2024 Olympics will be her fourth. She has never won an Olympic medal. In 2012, she came close to winning an Olympic medal but finished fourth in women’s doubles.

Lianne Tan (4)

The Belgian player, Lianne Tan, will also compete in her fourth Olympics. She has participated in the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Olympics.

Misha Zilberman (4)

The Israeli player, Misha Zilberman, will also compete in his fourth Olympics. He has participated in the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Olympics.

Tse Ying Suet (4)

The Hong Kong doubles specialist, Tse Ying Suet, will be competing in her fourth Olympics. She finished a heartbreaking fourth in the 2020 Olympics with her partner Tang Chun Man in mixed doubles after losing to Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino in the bronze medal match.

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