Dramatic contests take badminton to another high in Rio

epa05493721 Gold medal winners Liliyana Natsir (R) and Tontowi Ahmad (L) of Indonesia listen to the national anthem during the awarding ceremony of mixed doubles Badminton of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Badminton events at the Riocentro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 17 August 2016. EPA/ESTEBAN BIBA

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters): A diverse spread of medals and a European renaissance in Rio reinvigorated Olympic badminton four years after the scandal-plagued tournament at London was completely dominated by China.

The sport needed a boost at South America's first Games after its image was tainted four years ago by the expulsion of eight players who deliberately played to lose pool matches in order to secure more favourable draws.