Badminton · Level 7: Upper-Advanced · Sub-level 7.3
Men's Doubles
10 tests · 100 facts · updated 29 October 2026 · markdown
Men's doubles is badminton's fastest discipline, with flat, powerful and very quick rallies. Pairs serve low almost every time, since a high serve would be smashed at once, and attack in a front-and-back formation. Hitting down first decides many rallies: a pair that keeps lifting keeps being smashed. The modern game is built on drives and pushes that keep the shuttle flat, smashes to the middle or the body, a front player who intercepts and finishes, and counter-drives aimed into the gap behind that front player.
South Korea's Kim Moon-soo and Park Joo-bong won the first Olympic title in 1992. Indonesia won three of the next four: Rexy Mainaky and Ricky Subagja in 1996, Tony Gunawan and Candra Wijaya in 2000, and Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan in 2008, with Korea's Ha Tae-kwon and Kim Dong-moon winning in 2004. China's Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng, four times world champions together, won in London 2012, and Fu won again with Zhang Nan in 2016. Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin gave Chinese Taipei its first Olympic badminton gold in Tokyo and retained the title in Paris 2024, the only pair to do so together.
Setiawan won four world titles, the last three with Mohammad Ahsan, a pair nicknamed the Daddies. The facts below cover tactics and partnerships, the Olympic champions, the Korean, Indonesian and Chinese schools, the Minions, and the first world titles for Japan in 2021 and Malaysia in 2022.
Each test below is ten questions on Insporta. The list under a test is what the questions check: one fact per question, with the source it was written from. Read it before the test, or come back from a wrong answer.
Test 1The fastest disciplineTake a test
Power and speed on both sides.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Attack formation.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Low serves deny the attack.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Strong smashes punish high serves.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
First downward shot gains the attack.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Lifts give the attack away.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Speed and understanding.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Serve, press, attack, finish.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Men's doubles fastest.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
The fastest discipline.
Source: General badminton reference · applied
Test 2Olympic championsTake a test
South Korea, Barcelona.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
Indonesia, Atlanta.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
Indonesia, Sydney.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
South Korea, Athens.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
Indonesia, Beijing.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
1996, 2000 and 2008.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · applied
Chinese Taipei, retaining the title.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
1992, 1996, 2000, 2004.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
1992, 1996, 2012, 2021.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
Setiawan partnered Ahsan later.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · applied
Test 3Korea's doubles legendsTake a test
Park Joo-bong, men's and mixed doubles.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
With Gil Young-ah; men's doubles came in 2004.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
With Lee Hyo-jung.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
Copenhagen 2014.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Copenhagen 2023.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Tradition and coaching.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Paris 2025.
Source: General badminton reference · applied
1992, 1996, 2004.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
2014, 2023, 2025.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Kim Dong-moon won mixed gold with Gil Young-ah.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · applied
Test 4Indonesia's doubles schoolsTake a test
A rich doubles tradition.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
With Kido in 2007 and with Ahsan later.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Kido and Setiawan.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
With Howard Bach in 2005.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
The American Howard Bach.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
A speed-based school.
Source: General badminton reference · applied
Mainaky and Subagja in 1996.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
1996, 2000, 2008.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
2007, 2013, 2015, 2019.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Setiawan's four world titles.
Source: General badminton reference · applied
Test 5Cai Yun and Fu HaifengTake a test
Chinese.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
2006, 2009, 2010, 2011.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Gold in London.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
Rio 2016.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
A big smasher.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
2012 and 2016.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
Nanjing 2018.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
2006, 2009, 2010, 2011.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
2006, 2012, 2016.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
London 2012.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · applied
Test 6Chinese Taipei's double goldTake a test
Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
The first badminton gold.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
A Chinese pair.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
No other pair won it twice together.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · applied
Taiwan competes as Chinese Taipei.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
A second gold.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
Hard to stay on top.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
2016, 2021, 2024.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
2012, 2016, 2021.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · applied
Test 7The Minions and the DaddiesTake a test
A fast, small pair.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Speed and interceptions.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Veterans who kept winning.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Experienced players.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Basel 2019.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Early interception.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Avoid the front-court battle.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
2013, 2015, 2019.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
2007, 2013, 2019.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Sukamuljo and Gideon.
Source: General badminton reference · applied
Test 8Japan and Malaysia's breakthroughsTake a test
Huelva 2021.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Tokyo 2022.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Malaysia's first world champions.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
The Sidek brothers.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
His 2013 test mark.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Systems and coaching.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Hoki and Kobayashi.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
1992, 2021, 2022.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
2021, 2022, 2023.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Tokyo 2022.
Source: General badminton reference · applied
Test 9The modern men's doubles attackTake a test
Constant pressure.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Fast changes.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Middle and body.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Front-court finisher.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Flat play.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Fast hands.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · applied
Quick turnover.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Flat, lift, smash, reply, finish.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Drive first.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Behind the front player is open.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · applied
Test 10Doubles partnershipsTake a test
Strengths that fit.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
Front and back roles.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · applied
Long partnerships.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
With Cai Yun and Zhang Nan.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
Many reasons.
Source: General badminton reference · recall
Teamwork drills.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · applied
Brief and focused.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 10 · recall
Fit, agree, train, review.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 8 · recall
1992, 2004, 2016.
Source: Olympedia, Olympic badminton results · recall
Cohesion in doubles.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 10 · applied
Questions people ask
- Why is men's doubles the fastest badminton event?
- Rallies are flat, powerful and very quick, with both pairs trying to hit down first. Fast reactions and teamwork matter as much as power.
- Which men's doubles pair has won two Olympic golds together?
- Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin of Chinese Taipei, at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. They are the only pair to retain the Olympic men's doubles title together.
- Who won the first Olympic men's doubles title?
- Kim Moon-soo and Park Joo-bong of South Korea, at Barcelona in 1992. Park is one of the most decorated doubles players of the 1980s and 1990s.
- Who were the Minions and the Daddies?
- Two Indonesian pairs. The Minions, Kevin Sukamuljo and Marcus Gideon, were known for lightning speed at the front of the court; the Daddies, Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan, kept winning into their thirties and took the 2019 world title in Basel.
- Who won Olympic men's doubles gold with two different partners?
- Fu Haifeng of China, with Cai Yun at London 2012 and with Zhang Nan at Rio 2016.
- Why do men's doubles pairs avoid lifting the shuttle?
- A lift hands the attack to the opponents, who can then keep smashing. Pairs use drives and pushes instead to keep the shuttle flat.
- Where should a counter-drive go against a smash in doubles?
- Into the gap behind the opponents' front player. Counter-driving turns defence into attack quickly.
Sources
BWF Coaches' Manual Level 1 (2017), BWF regulations and history, Olympedia; original questions authored, nothing reproduced. Numbered rules belong to the Rules category (Badminton - Laws of Badminton).
- General badminton reference42
- Olympedia, Olympic badminton results33
- BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 823
- BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 102