Wang Wenjiao

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In this Chinese name, the family name is Wang.

Wang Wenjiao
王文教
Member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
In office
March 1978 – March 1988
Personal details
Born
Ong Boen Kao[1]

(1933-11-22)22 November 1933
Surakarta, Dutch East Indies
Died25 December 2022(2022-12-25) (aged 89)
Beijing, China
Residence(s)Fujian, China

Wang Wenjiao (Chinese: 王文教; 22 November 1933[2][3] – 25 December 2022) was an Indonesian-born Chinese badminton player and coach known as the "Godfather" of Chinese badminton.[4] After winning a number of national championships in the 1950s, he served for 21 years as head coach of the China national men's badminton team, which under his leadership won 56 individual world titles as well as four Thomas Cups (1982, 1986, 1988, and 1990). He was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Badminton World Federation in 2014, and became the first sportsperson to receive the national title of "People's Role Model" in 2019.

Early life and playing career[edit]

Wang was born in 1933[5] in Surakarta (Solo), Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia),[6] to an ethnic Chinese family with ancestral roots in Nan'an, Fujian. He played badminton from childhood, and became a star player in Indonesia by the 1950s.[5]

In 1953, Wang visited the newly established People's Republic of China (PRC) as a member of Chinese-Indonesian sports delegation.[5] He later recalled that China's standard of badminton was so low that he was able to defeat the national champion 15–0.[7] After the trip, Wang and his friend Chen Fushou decided to move to China in 1954 to develop the sport in their ancestral country.[8] The duo helped establish the Fujian provincial badminton team, the first badminton team in the PRC, in December 1956.[9] More than 20 other provinces subsequently established badminton teams because of Wang's efforts. Wang and Chen also wrote the first badminton textbook in China, which was published in 1957.[7] During the 1st National Games of China in 1959, they won the men's doubles gold medal.[9] He won a number of other national championships between 1956 and 1959, but retired as a player in the 1960s owing to injury.[7]

Coaching career[edit]

After retirement from playing, Wang focused on coaching and was appointed the head coach of the China national badminton team in 1972.[7] His early trainees included Tang Xianhu, Hou Jiachang, and Fang Kaixiang, who were highly successful in Asian tournaments and friendly matches against European players, but were unable to participate in international tournaments as the PRC was not affiliated with the International Badminton Federation (IBF) at the time.[6]

Once China joined the IBF in the early 1980s, Wang immediately coached the Chinese men's team to win their first Thomas Cup in 1982.[6][7] He later recalled the championship as one of the most unforgettable moments in his career, during which China trailed Indonesia 1-3 after the first day, but came back from behind to win the cup 5-4 on the second day.[5][7]

In his 21-year-long tenure as head coach, Wang trained many world champions, including Han Jian, Yang Yang, Zhao Jianhua, Xiong Guobao, Li Yongbo, and Tian Bingyi, who altogether won 56 world titles.[5] The Chinese men's team won the Thomas Cup three more times, in 1986, 1988, and 1990, as well as five other world team championships. He retired in 1993.[5]

He was a member of the 5th and 6th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and served from 1978 till 1988.

Personal life and death[edit]

Wang died on 25 December 2022, at the age of 89, from COVID-19.[10][11][12]

Honours and recognition[edit]

Wang has been called the "Godfather" of Chinese badminton.[5] For his contributions to the sport, the Badminton World Federation honoured him with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.[5][13] During 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China celebrations in September 2019, CCP general secretary Xi Jinping awarded him the national title of "People's Role Model". He was the first sportsperson to receive the honour.[6][7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Sukumar, Dev (27 December 2022). "A Legend Passes". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  2. ^ "中国人物年鉴". 15 October 1989.
  3. ^ "Recognizing the heroes of 70 years of the PRC".
  4. ^ "国羽功勋教练王文教病逝 | 每日经济新闻".
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h "羽球功勋 王文教被授予"人民楷模"国家荣誉称号". China Badminton Association. 19 September 2019. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d Sukumar, Dev (22 November 2019). "Wang Wenjiao Feels 'Lucky' About National Honour". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Lin, Deren (28 September 2019). "China's badminton trailblazer Wang Wenjiao receives civic award". Xinhua. Archived from the original on 3 October 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  8. ^ Xiao Rong (5 February 2020). "陈福寿：中国羽毛球拓荒者" (PDF). Fujian Daily. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  9. ^ a b "中国羽坛名宿陈福寿离世 中国羽协发文缅怀". Beijing Daily. 2 February 2020. Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  10. ^ "国羽功勋教练王文教病逝". NBD. 25 December 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  11. ^ "更多文体界名人大面积病亡 包括葛优母亲,冰壶冠军… | 文学城". 26 December 2022.
  12. ^ "殡仪馆离奇告示：逝者家属须承诺非因新冠去世".
  13. ^ "Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients" (PDF). Badminton World Federation. 20 October 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
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