Riders for the first time this season in Wednesdays eliminator.

SEOUL, South Korea -- Badminton at the Rio Olympics will try to shake off multiple scandals and adapt to a rule change many consider an attempt to curb Chinese dominance.Seen as backyard fun by many Americans, the sport is serious business for millions in Asia and parts of Europe, where throngs of people pack stadiums to watch players who are household names.Its less popular in Brazil, and that has some players worried about whats in store for them.Those who tune in will see an appealing blend of power, speed and agility, with long rallies that can seem like video games as the shuttle whizzes back and forth across the net and players stretch like gymnasts to parry smashes that can reach speeds of well above 100 miles per hour.Heres a look at what to expect in Rio from a game named after a 19th century English dukes country house:---SCANDALSBadminton has been rocked by scandal in recent years and is hoping the Olympics will provide a chance to move on.At the 2012 games in London, two South Korean womens doubles teams along with a Chinese and an Indonesian team were disqualified for trying to lose early matches so they could get better draws in the knockout round.Two of the disgraced South Koreans, Kim Ha-na and Jeong Kyung-eun, made the Olympics team for Rio. Time has passed and Ive moved on and grown up, Kim said recently. Although I still have bad memories, I will never make the same mistake again.The current No. 1 mens singles player, Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia, served an eight-month ban for doping. Lee said he took an anti-inflammatory drug inadvertently, and a panel said he had been negligent, rather than intending to cheat.A gambling scandal, meanwhile, has hurt the chances of the recently improved Japanese mens team. Kento Momota, a young star who had been ranked No. 2 in the world, was banned from the Olympics after admitting to gambling at an illegal casino in Japan.---END OF CHINESE DOMINANCE?China won gold in all five badminton events in 2012, and many top Chinese will again be contenders.But competition in Rio is likely to be more open after an Olympic rule change that limits countries to two singles entrants in each event. Each country could previously enter three, something that benefited Chinas deep field of talent.Even without the change, however, the rest of the world has been gaining on China.The current top mens and womens singles players are non-Chinese -- Malaysias Lee Chong Wei and Carolina Marin, of Spain -- although both of the No. 2 and No. 3 players are Chinese.---THREEPEAT?Chinas Lin Dan, considered by many the greatest mens player of all time, will be going for his third consecutive singles gold.He won at home in Beijing in 2008 and again in London in 2012, both times against his top rival, and perhaps the second greatest player of his era, Malaysias Lee Chong Wei, who is now considered the top gold medal contender.Lin, currently ranked No. 3, is no longer the top-ranked player even in China, eclipsed by world champion Chen Long, the world No. 2.Both Lin and Lee are old by badminton standards: Lin is 32; Lee is 33.Still, Lin combines a powerful attack, agile defense and subtle net play, and many fans are hoping for a dramatic rematch between Lin and Lee.---VENUEBrazil is not a traditional badminton power, and there is some worry about fan support and the arenas layout.Lin Dan, used to huge, adoring crowds and dedicated badminton arenas, mentioned what he considered the venues small size after playing a test event there last year.Air drifts and currents are also worries when playing top-level badminton in a place thats not used to it. Drifts can play a major, detrimental part in a game by changing the direction and speed of the shuttle, which is conical, made of 16 goose feathers stuck to a leather-covered round cork, and weighs only about 5 grams.Major drift culprits include air conditioning and the opening and closing of doors and windows.To be fair, there were drift complaints even at the Olympics in England, where the modern version of the game was developed in the 19th century. To try to compensate for any drifts, players change ends during matches.---AP TV journalist Jungho Choi contributed from Seoul.---Foster Klug, APs bureau chief in Seoul, South Korea, is covering table tennis and badminton in Rio. Follow him at www.twitter/apklug Vegas Golden Knights Gear . PETERSBURG, Fla. Cheap Golden Knights Jerseys . Vokoun departed practice on Saturday morning after discovering swelling in his thigh. He was taken to a local hospital where the clot was revealed. The club announced the surgery following a 5-3 exhibition loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. https://www.cheapgoldenknights.com/ . They were putting most of their energy into a record-setting offensive display. Vegas Golden Knights Pro Shop . The Olympic champion curler and TSN curling analyst immediately went online to look at the Halls long list of honoured members. Thats when the enormity of the honour sunk in. Fake Golden Knights Jerseys . Kozun faked to the forehand and beat Monsters starter, Calvin Pickard, pad side in the second round for the winner. Spencer Abbott also scored in the shootout for the Marlies (25-13-4).Sunrisers Hyderabad moved a step closer to the IPL final after beating Kolkata Knight Riders for the first time this season in Wednesdays eliminator. David Warners men suffered eight-wicket and 22-run defeats to Knight Riders in the group phase - the second of those results coming just three days ago - but triumphed by 22 runs third time around after successfully defending 162-8.Sunrisers will now meet Gujarat Lions on Friday for the chance to face Royal Challengers Bangalore in Sundays final, with Kolkatas exit meaning a new name will be etched onto the IPL trophy this weekend at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.Knight Riders were shorn of key all-rounder Andre Russell due to injury but fellow overseas pro, Morne Morkel, dismissed Shikhar Dhawan (10) early in Sunrisers knock having been bashed for back-to-back boundaries by the Indian.Warner (28) - dropped on nine - and Moises Henriques (31) lifted Sunrisers to 71-1 in the 10th over but then fell in the space of two balls, chinaman Kuldeep Yadav catching Henriques off his own bowling before cleaning up Warner as the Australian attempted a sweep. Sunrisers Hyderabad are into the IPL qualifier Yadav continued to make an impact, running out Deepak Hooda with a direct hit and having Ben Cutting stumped first ball, while Yuvraj Singh (44) top scored for Sunrisers before Bipul Sharma (14no off 6) biffed two final-over sixes off Morkel.Hyderabad - third after the group phase, a place above Kolkata - then dismissed Robin Uthappa in the second over, before Yuvrajs excellent run out of Colin Munro (16) saw Knight Riders tumble from 53-1 to 69-4.dddddddddddd Yuvraj Singh scored an important 44 for Sunrisers Manish Pandey (36) and Suryakumar Yadav (23) threatened to take Knight Riders close, putting on 46 for the fifth wicket, but Sunrisers economical attack, including Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3-19), came out on top as Kolkata ended on 140-8. Dominic Cork, Sam Billings and Carlos Brathwaite look at Sunrisers Hyderabads victory over Kolkata Knight Riders and find an interesting lookalike too… Watch Fridays IPL qualifier between Sunrisers and Gujarat from 3pm on Sky Sports 1, before catching Sundays final from 3pm on Sky Sports 5. ' ' '