Melbourne, The genteel racquet sport, Badminton suffered its greatest Olympic humiliation at London where four pairs in the women's doubles were disqualified for deliberately trying to lose pool matches to secure more favourable draws in the knockout phase.
The scandal, which cast a pall over China and two other top Asian teams, prompted a change to the Games format to ensure there can be no repeat of the chaotic scenes at Wembley Arena where spectators jeered and hurled abuse as players dumped successive shots into the net.
In all, the Chinese won eight of the 15 medals on offer, six more than second-placed Denmark.
Nations are now limited to two entrants in each event, down from the three at London and previous Games, a move intended to increase competition.
The rule change has coincided with a European resurgence which has raised hopes of a more open tournament.
Long China's exclusive domain, the women's top ranking is now held by a Spaniard in world champion Carolina Marin, while a pair of Danes in Viktor Axelsen and Jan Jorgensen round out the men's top five.
Another Olympic showdown between Chinese champion Lin Dan and Malaysian world number one Lee Chong Wei in the men's singles.
Lin, badminton's answer to tennis's Roger Federer, defeated Lee in both gold medal matches at Beijing and London but his Malaysian arch-rival has found form at the right time.
