Lin Dan targeting Rio 2016 gold after badminton test event success

Lin Dan is targeting gold at Rio 2016 after his London 2012 success ©Rio 2016

China's five-time world champion Lin Dan is targeting a third consecutive Olympic gold medal at Rio 2016 after winning the test event in the Brazilian city, despite first criticising the atmosphere in the Riocentro Pavilion 4.

After his first match, Lin expressed his "surprise" about the lack of spectators in a venue which currently has a temporary stand of only five layers, with a seating capacity of just 500.

"When I come to the venue, I feel surprised," he said.

"For me it could be the most special one among all Olympic venues, because there are not so many stands.

“We want to have a lot of fans watching our games next year,”

This criticism was brushed off by Badminton World Federation (BWF) secretary general Thomas Lund,.

He claimed the test event was about focusing on other aspects other than spectators and a capacity of 7,000 will be in place by next year, the same as at for both Beijing 2008 and London 2012.

Only invited guests were present this time around.

Athletes competing in front of a sparse crowd at the Rio 2016 test event ©Rio 2016/Alex Ferro — Athletes competing in front of a sparse crowd at the Rio 2016 test event ©Rio 2016

Dan, considered by many the greatest player of all time, hit back by winning the test event, which doubled as the Brazilian Open, with a 21-13, 21-17 victory over Spain’s Pablo Abian in the men's singles final.

It followed a difficult year in which he has suffered early exits at the Hong Kong Open, China Open and French Open, as well as losing in the quarter-finals of the World Championships.

He now faces a battle to gain one of two spots in the Chinese squad, with world champion and world number one Chen Long accompanied by two other top-10 ranked rising stars, Tian Houwei and Wang Zhengming.

“The competition [for places] in China is ferocious,” said the 32-year-old.

“Starting with my training this winter, I will be working systematically.

"Next year, I will become totally focused on the competitions.”

Meanwhile, organisers were seeking to use the test event as a way to test operational issues which will now be addressed.

This is set to include repositioning the courts, based on the results of a series of tests measuring the air currents at different heights, as well as adding the new stands and spectator-seating.