The 2025 TotalEnergies Li-Ning Li Yongbo Cup 3V3 Badminton Tournament launched in Shenyang this weekend, marking the explosive growth of what began as an informal training exercise among China’s elite badminton players. Olympic champions Zhang Nan and Fu Haifeng watched as the format they once used to relieve training pressure now attracts over 220,000 amateur participants across 36 Chinese cities – the world’s largest amateur badminton event.
“This tournament builds a bridge through badminton,” said Li Ning, Olympic gymnast and chairman of the sporting goods company sponsoring the event. The 3v3 format’s unique appeal lies in its accessibility – allowing mixed-skill teams to compete while emphasizing communication and adaptability over pure technical ability. Zhang Nan recalls how the national team originally used the format to maintain reflexes without competitive pressure: “The extra player made the pace more relaxed, but it still tested our skills.”
The tournament’s expansion mirrors badminton’s surging popularity across China, with participation now exceeding 250 million people and the market valued at 32 billion yuan ($4.45 billion). This season will span 21 cities, incorporating an innovative “Badminton City” online voting campaign and culminating in a groundbreaking research report on the sport’s societal impact. “The 2025 Swing Index” study will analyze data from 10,000 participants to quantify badminton’s role in promoting health, happiness and community connection.
Li Yongbo, the tournament’s founder and former national team coach, emphasizes the format’s democratic appeal: “Championships are for the few, but health and happiness are what most people seek.” As China pursues its national fitness strategy, 3v3 badminton has emerged as an unexpected engine of grassroots participation – transforming an elite training tool into what Fu Haifeng calls “an important way to improve people’s health and support the pursuit of a better life.”
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