Home team avoids China in Asian Games draws

Both Korea’s men’s and women’s teams avoided China’s half in the draws for the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, held today at the Harbor Park Hotel in Incheon.  Korea’s men’s team will still have its hands full with singles-strong India as its first round opponent, possibly followed by Japan and Indonesia before a wished-for 3rd consecutive finals showdown with China.

China, on the other hand, has a bye in the first round with Malaysia and Hong Kong the major competition for a spot in the team final.  2nd-seeded Indonesia is the other five-time champion in this event and they begin with a bye, followed by a likely quarter-final against Thailand, after which they will most likely be the ones awaiting the survivor of the perilous clustering of India, Korea, and Japan.

China has it much tougher in the women’s team draw, with Malaysia as the guaranteed quarter-final opponent and then likely either Japan or Indonesia as their challenger in the semi-finals.  Korea, too, has a first round bye and will likely be most concerned about their likely semi-final against Thailand or possibly India.  China won both team golds in the last two Asian Games and in fact has won nine of the the last women’s team golds.  Korea has been in the men’s team final in the last three consecutive Asian Games, beginning with their controversial win at home in Busan in 2002.