Badminton player Xie Xingfang of China plays a shot during a training session at the Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium in Beijing on August 7, 2008, the day before the opening of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Lin Dan and his comrades launch their bid for a clean sweep of the Olympic gold medals in badminton on August 9, with arch rivals Malaysia, Indonesia and South Korea determined to halt the charge. [Agencies]