Li Lingwei

A brilliant all-around player whose court coverage and net play were particularly impressive, she maintained a narrow won/lost edge on her teammate, rival, and sometimes doubles partner Han Aiping. They dominated international women's badminton during most of the 1980s, each winning the then biennial IBF World Championships (now known as BWF World Championships) twice, and winning the IBF World doubles, together, in 1985. They also led Chinese teams that perennially won the biennial Uber Cup (women's world team) competitions.[3] Li Lingwei won the singles crown at the IBF World Championships in 1983 and 1989. She won Silver at the 1987 World Championships and a Bronze medal at the 1985 World Championships. Li won over 40 open international titles around the world. Besides the three World Championship gold medals her major results included four gold medals in the World Grand Prix Finals, two All England Singles titles, and one All England Women’s Doubles title. Li was also part of the pioneer team which won the first Uber Cup for China in 1984. From 1984 to 1987 Li won four consecutive crowns at the Badminton World Cups in the women's singles event plus three titles in the women's doubles event in 1983, 1986 and 1987.

She retired in 1989, and was inducted into the Badminton Hall of Fame in 1998.[4]

After retiring in 1989, Li entered the University of Hangzhou to transfer her skills from playing to coaching. In 1991 Li Ling Wei returned to China's national badminton team, serving as assistant coach of the national team and, starting in December 1994, as head coach of the women's team. She coached the Chinese women's badminton team that won the 1998 Uber Cup Championship. Over the course of her coaching career, Li cultivated top players such as Ye Zhaoying, Gong Zhichao, Gong Ruina and Dai Yun to follow in her footsteps.

Li has always been a strong advocate of women’s rights and has been heavily involved in improving women’s participation and fair representation in world sports bodies such as the BWF and the IOC. Li has stated that, “as women, we have to work harder because we have so many roles to play – mother, daughter or wife – so most of us are in a very challenging situation. We have to work harder than men, otherwise we can’t achieve our goals.” She believed that in comparison to other sports, “badminton is achieving a lot of positive goals, in women’s participation for example, and with equal prize money. And it is the same with participation at events. It was very natural that she became the Vice-Chair of the Women’s Commission of the BWF in 2009. Li has also been serving as the Deputy Chair of the International Relations Commission of the BWF. Despite being heavily involved with multiple associations, Li still found the time to work as the Deputy Director in the International Relations Department for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Organizing Committee (BOCOG) from 2003 to 2008.

On May 12, 2002, when she was Chinese Badminton Association Vice-President, Li Ling Wei was elected as IBF member of Council, becoming one of only three women in the council. During her tenure she was also admitted to a doctoral degree at Beijing Sport University, specializing in sociology. In 2003 Li Lingwei was elected as a member of the 10th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and became the only member of the CPPCC National Committee to have been a badminton player. In the same year she was transferred to the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee's Sports Department as a second-level project expert, and then transferred to the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee's International Liaison Department. After the 2012 Beijing Olympic Games she was promoted to the deputy director of the China National Sports General Administration Table Tennis Badminton Management Center, and returned to the Chinese badminton team again after 10 years. In December 2010 Li Lingwei became the deputy director of the Network Management Center of the State Sports General Administration of China, replacing the retired Gao Shenyang.

Li Lingwei never competed in the Olympics because badminton did not become an Olympic sport until 1992. However, she was chosen as one of the five retired athletes to carry the Olympic flag during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In July 2012, she was elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee, receiving 83 votes out of 94. IOC president Jacques Rogge presented her with an "IOC gold medal".[4]

In March 2015 Li Lingwei served as the director of the tennis sports management center and secretary of the party committee, from the official to the main hall level. On December 28, 2016 Li Lingwei was elected as Vice Chairman of the Chinese Olympic Committee in the Plenary Session of this organisation.

Women's singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result
1989	Senayan Sports Complex, Jakarta, Indonesia	Huang Hua	11–6, 12–9	Gold
1987	Capital Indoor Stadium, Beijing, China	Han Aiping	12–10, 4–11, 7–11	Silver
1985	Olympic Saddledome, Calgary, Canada	Wu Jianqiu	7–11, 9–12	Bronze
1983	Brøndbyhallen, Copenhagen, Denmark	Han Aiping	11–8, 6–11, 11–7	Gold

Women's doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
1987	Capital Indoor Stadium, Beijing, China	Han Aiping	Guan Weizhen Lin Ying	7–15, 8–15	Silver
1985	Olympic Saddledome, Calgary, Canada	Han Aiping	Lin Ying Wu Dixi	15–9, 14–18, 15–9	Gold

Women's singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result
1988	National Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand	Han Aiping	11–5, 6–11, 0–11	Silver
1987	Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Han Aiping	11–8, 11–8	Gold
1986	Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia	Han Aiping	11–8, 11–3	Gold
1985	Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia	Ivana Lie	11–3, 11–2	Gold
1984	Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia	Han Aiping	10–12, 11–4, 11–7	Gold
1983	Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Han Aiping	5–11, 1–11	Bronze
1981	Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Chen Ruizhen	10–12, 11–2, 7–11	Silver

Women's doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
1987	Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Han Aiping	Guan Weizhen Lin Ying	15–10, 11–15, 15–5	Gold
1986	Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia	Han Aiping	Imelda Wiguna Rosiana Tendean	15–7, 15–7	Gold
1985	Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia	Han Aiping	Kim Yun-ja Yoo Sang-hee	11–15, 15–11, 3–15	Bronze
1984	Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia	Gillian Gilks	Lin Ying Wu Dixi	3–15, 7–15	Bronze
1983	Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Han Aiping	Wu Jianqiu Xu Rong	6–15, 15–8, 15–5	Gold

Women's singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result
1986	Olympic Gymnastics Arena, Seoul, South Korea	Han Aiping	6–11, 9–11	Silver
1982	New Delhi, India	Zhang Ailing	–,–	Silver