Focus Taiwan
Date: 06/14/2020
By: Huang Chiao-wen and Kay Liu

World No. 1 female badminton player Tai Tzu-ying is pictured in a match in 2019. / CNA file photo

Taipei, June 14 (CNA) World No. 1 female badminton player Tai Tzu-ying (戴資穎) will face male rivals in a competitive event organized by the Sports Administration for the country's top athletes in August, according to the Chinese Taipei Badminton Association.

Following discussions with coaches, the association said it drafted a match plan for badminton players during the first three days of the event, which is planned for Aug. 1-8 to see how athletes are progressing.

Given that few female players anywhere can challenge Tai, ranked first in the world in women's singles, the association picked former national champion Lin Chia-hsuan (林家翾) and Tsai Chieh-hao (蔡傑皓), a training partner with the national team, to go up against her, the sports body said.

With international competition shut down in almost every sport since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwanese athletes, including many of its top badminton players, have tried to stay in shape by training at the National Sports Training Center in Kaohsiung.
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