Badminton at the 2024 Summer Olympics

Regarded as the fastest racquet sport in the Olympics, the format for the tournaments was the same as previous games, namely a group stage where players played each other, with the top player (in singles events) or top two teams (in doubles events) advanced to a single-elimination competition. Matches were the best of three games, a game being won when one player reached 21 points, with a clear margin of 2 points over their opponent. If a game reaches 29-29, a golden point is played. Qualification was based upon World Badminton Federation rankings, with the proviso of at least one continental representative in each event.

The Badminton tournaments were held at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena. China was the dominant force from previous games, with other Asian countries providing the strongest opposition. Coming into the 2024 Games, it was not felt that the outcome would be different. With 17 out of 20 semi-finalists coming from Asian nations, this proved to be the case. China finished as the most successful nation, winning two gold and three silver medals. In fact, Asian countries won 14 of the 15 medals on offer, the exception being Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen, who won the gold medal in the men’s singles event, although there was sympathy for Spain’s Carolina Marín, who was ahead in her semi-final but was forced to withdraw through injury.