Li Yongbo


Li Yongbo is a retired Chinese male badminton player and the former head coach of Chinese National Badminton Team.

Career

As a player, he was a men's doubles specialist noted for his quickness, reflexes, and power. From the mid-1980s to the early 1990s he shared numerous international titles with his regular partner Tian Bingyi. They were contemporaries and rivals of the famous Korean pair Park Joo-bong and Kim Moon-soo, largely dividing badminton's biggest doubles events between them for about eight seasons. Among many other tournaments around the world Li and Tian captured the World Championships in 1987 and 1989, the prestigious All-England Championships in 1987, 1988, and 1991, and the Danish Open in 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, and 1991. They also played on Chinese Thomas Cup teams that won consecutive world team titles in 1986, 1988, and 1990. Late in their partnership they won a bronze medal in men's doubles at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.
As the Chinese badminton women's doubles coach during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, his players were banned from competition for "tanking" their match against South Korea, who won the match but were also banned similarly. Li has admitted his role in the scandal; insiders say Li used fear tactics and intimidation to a strategic advantage in national and Olympic competition. By losing, his team would have avoided playing another Chinese team.
Following the conclusion of the Rio Olympics, where China won two gold medals, he stood down in 2017.

Achievements

Olympic Games

Men's doubles
YearVenuePartnerOpponentScoreResult
1988Seoul National University Gymnasium, Seoul, South Korea Tian Bingyi Lee Sang-bok
Lee Kwang Jin		15–11, 15–7 Gold
1992Pavelló de la Mar Bella, Barcelona, Spain Tian Bingyi Rudy Gunawan
Eddy Hartono		9–15, 8–15 Bronze

World Championships

Men's doubles
YearVenuePartnerOpponentScoreResult
1985Olympic Saddledome, Calgary, Canada Tian Bingyi Park Joo-bong
Kim Moon-soo		15–5, 7–15, 9–15 Silver
1987Capital Indoor Stadium, Beijing, China Tian Bingyi Razif Sidek
Jalani Sidek		15–2, 8–15, 15–9 Gold
1989Senayan Sports Complex, Jakarta, Indonesia Tian Bingyi Chen Kang
Chen Hongyong		15–3, 15–12 Gold
1991Brøndby Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark Tian Bingyi Jon Holst-Christensen
Thomas Lund		7–15, 9–15 Bronze

World Cup

Men's doubles
YearVenuePartnerOpponentScoreResult
1984Senayan Sports Complex, Jakarta, Indonesia Tian Bingyi Liem Swie King
Hariamanto Kartono		8–15, 1–15 Silver
1985Senayan Sports Complex, Jakarta, Indonesia Tian Bingyi Liem Swie King
Hariamanto Kartono		11–15, 15–11, 11–15 Silver
1987Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tian Bingyi Park Joo-bong
Kim Moon-soo		6–15, 15–6, 11–15 Silver
1988National Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand Tian Bingyi Razif Sidek
Jalani Sidek		Walkover Gold
1989Guangzhou Gymnasium, Guangzhou, China Tian Bingyi Park Joo-bong
Kim Moon-soo		10–15, 11–15 Silver
1990Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia Tian Bingyi Razif Sidek
Jalani Sidek		12–15, 3–15 Bronze
1991Macau Forum, Macau, China Tian Bingyi Park Joo-bong
Kim Moon-soo		16–17, 14–17 Bronze

Asian Games

Men's doubles
YearVenuePartnerOpponentScoreResult
1986Olympic Gymnastics Arena, Seoul, South Korea Tian Bingyi Park Joo-bong
Kim Moon-soo		8–15, 10–15 Silver
1990Beijing Gymnasium, Beijing, China Tian Bingyi Park Joo-bong
Kim Moon-soo		15–8, 15–4 Gold

IBF World Grand Prix

The World Badminton Grand Prix sanctioned by International Badminton Federation since from 1983 to 2006.
Men's doubles
YearTournamentPartnerOpponentScoreResult
1984Denmark Open Tian Bingyi Morten Frost
Jens Peter Nierhoff		15–7, 15–2 Winner
1985German Open Ding Qiqing Zhang Xinguang
Tian Bingyi		15–5, 12–15, 15–7 Winner
1985Denmark Open Tian Bingyi Razif Sidek
Jalani Sidek		17–14, 15–8 Winner
1985Swedish Open Ding Qiqing Thomas Kihlström
Stefan Karlsson		15–12, 14–18, 18–15 Winner
1985Indonesia Open Tian Bingyi Liem Swie King
Hariamanto Kartono		5–15, 10–15 Runner-up
1986China Open Tian Bingyi Huang Zhen
Chen Hongyong		15–6, 15–8 Winner
1986Denmark Open Tian Bingyi Dipak Tailor
Martin Dew		15–9, 15–3 Winner
1986English Masters Tian Bingyi Dipak Tailor
Martin Dew		11–15, 15–5, 15–11 Winner
1987Scandinavian Open Tian Bingyi Michael Kjeldsen
Jens Peter Nierhoff		15–2, 15–11 Winner
1987All England Open Tian Bingyi Bobby Ertanto
Rudy Heryanto		15–9, 15–8 Winner
1987China Open Tian Bingyi Zhang Qiang
Zhou Jincan		15–10, 15–6 Winner
1987Thailand Open Tian Bingyi Eddy Hartono
Liem Swie King		15–13, 15–11 Winner
1987Malaysia Open Tian Bingyi Razif Sidek
Jalani Sidek		Walkover Runner-up
1987World Grand Prix Finals Tian Bingyi Zhang Qiang
Zhou Jincan		15–9, 15–4 Winner
1988Japan Open Tian Bingyi Park Joo-bong
Kim Moon-soo		18–15, 15–4 Winner
1988Swedish Open Tian Bingyi Chen Kang
Chen Hongyong		Walkover Winner
1988All England Open Tian Bingyi Razif Sidek
Jalani Sidek		15–6, 15–7 Winner
1988Thailand Open Tian Bingyi Razif Sidek
Rashid Sidek		15–3, 15–5 Winner
1988China Open Tian Bingyi Chen Kang
Chen Hongyong		13–15, 15–8, 15–3 Winner
1988English Masters Tian Bingyi Razif Sidek
Jalani Sidek		15–11, 15–4 Winner
1988Denmark Open Tian Bingyi Razif Sidek
Jalani Sidek		15–6, 8–15, 15–4 Winner
1988Malaysia Open Tian Bingyi Razif Sidek
Jalani Sidek		15–12, 15–12 Winner
1989Swedish Open Tian Bingyi Park Joo-bong
Lee Sang-bok		17–14, 15–2 Winner
1989French Open Tian Bingyi Huang Zhen
He Xiangyang		15–3, 15–6 Winner
1989Denmark Open Tian Bingyi Razif Sidek
Jalani Sidek		15–10, 15–11 Winner
1989World Grand Prix Finals Tian Bingyi Razif Sidek
Jalani Sidek		9–15, 5–15 Runner-up
1990Japan Open Tian Bingyi Park Joo-bong
Kim Moon-soo		15–3, 16–17, 13–18 Runner-up
1990Swedish Open Tian Bingyi Razif Sidek
Jalani Sidek		15–7, 15–9 Winner
1990All England Open Tian Bingyi Park Joo-bong
Kim Moon-soo		14–17, 9–15 Runner-up
1990Singapore Open Tian Bingyi Eddy Hartono
Rudy Gunawan		4–15, 8–15 Runner-up
1990Denmark Open Tian Bingyi Jesper Knudsen
Thomas Stuer-Lauridsen		15–8, 15–6 Winner
1991All England Open Tian Bingyi Park Joo-bong
Kim Moon-soo		12–15, 15–7, 15–8 Winner
1991China Open Tian Bingyi Huang Zhanzhong
Zheng Yumin		15–8, 15–10 Winner
1992Korea Open Tian Bingyi Park Joo-bong
Kim Moon-soo		10–15, 10–15 Runner-up
1992Japan Open Tian Bingyi Chen Kang
Chen Hongyong		15–10, 8–15, 10–15 Runner-up