Fake Asian Games draw sparks confusion

Badminton Asia has confirmed that a circulating social media post claiming to be the Asian Games men's team draw is fake. The fake draw had Malaysian fans in alarm, as Malaysia was mistakenly paired with Hong Kong in the last-16 and could potentially face top seeds China in the quarter-finals.

The real team draw will take place during a meeting of team managers on September 19, with the competition kicking off on September 20. The draw procedure for individual and team events is already outlined in the Asian Games handbook, according to Kenny Goh, BA's secretary-general.

The incorrect social media post had Malaysia seeded sixth, while the top four seeds were Indonesia, China, Taiwan and Japan. In reality, Malaysia is seeded sixth, with Indonesia, China, Taiwan and Japan as the top four seeds. If the seeding had been accurate, Malaysia might have faced one of the top four seeds in the quarter-finals, who would have received a first-round bye.

For the women's team event, China, Japan, South Korea and Japan were the top four seeds, with Malaysia seeded seventh after Thailand and Indonesia. The fake draw only served to confuse fans, as the seedings were incorrect. Once the team events conclude on October 24, the individual draw will be held on the same day.