On December 25, it was reported that Wang Wengiao, the former head coach of the Chinese national badminton team at the General Administration of Sport Training Bureau, passed away in Beijing at 3:12 a.m. on December 25, 2022, at the age of 89, due to illness. As one of China's pioneering badminton athletes and coaches, Wang led the Chinese team to clinch four Thomas Cup titles in 1982, 1986, 1988, and 1990, and coached 56 individual world champions. He was also honored with the Badminton World Federation’s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2019, he was awarded the national title of "People's Role Model" and recognized as one of the "Most Beautiful Strugglers."
In 1933, Wang Wengiao, whose ancestral home is in Nan'an, Fujian, was born in Indonesia. From a young age, he took up badminton and quickly rose to become a household-name star athlete. In 1954, despite numerous obstacles, Wang Wengiao returned to China and dedicated himself to the development of badminton in the newly founded nation. During that unique era, the Chinese badminton team had to start almost from scratch—but over time, they steadily carved out a prominent place for themselves on both the Asian and global stages.
Starting in 1982, Wang Wengiao became the head coach of the Chinese national badminton team, leading them to compete in the Thomas Cup—their first international badminton tournament after China had regained its seat on the Badminton World Federation. The team made a stunning run all the way to the final, where they triumphantly defeated the then-dominant Indonesian squad, clinching China’s first-ever Thomas Cup title and securing their place as world champions. It was during the 1980s that the Chinese badminton team began establishing itself as a global powerhouse, steadily adding one championship after another to its growing legacy. Under Wang Wengiao’s guidance, the team nurtured an impressive roster of world-class players, laying the foundation for China’s golden era in badminton that would follow.
After retiring, Wang Wengiao successively held positions such as Vice President of the Chinese Badminton Association and a member of the Board of Directors for the Badminton World Federation. He was also a member of the 5th and 6th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. In September 2019, Wang Wengiao was awarded both the national honorary title of "People's Role Model" and the title of "Most Beautiful Striver." In January 2020, he was named the Global Overseas Chinese Person of the Year for 2019.
