Wedding of Chinese badminton stars scheduled for the end of September

Chinese badminton Olympic champion Lin Dan said on Monday he and former teammate Xie Xingfang's wedding ceremony will be held at the end of September, perhaps in the Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium.

Lin won his first Olympic title at the 2008 Beijing Games in the venue, and Xie has played there in women's competitions.

"What makes a wedding ceremony special is not how much money you spend - it's how meaningful it will be," Lin said. "That gymnasium is a great place to host a special ceremony."

They are the highest-profile couple in Chinese athletics.

The 29-year-old Lin met Xie at the age of 15, and said it was love at first sight.

Xie admitted she did not expect Lin, who is two years younger than her, to take their relationship so seriously. But the former women's world No 1 was finally moved by Lin's sincerity and they received a marriage certificate in 2010.

Lin, however, was busy preparing for the London Olympics at the time, so their traditional ceremony and photo shoot had to be postponed.

Coming off defending the Olympic title in London, Lin canceled a number of commercial activities to expedite the ceremony.

"We have finished shooting the wedding photos," he said. "Before the London Games, she was busy by herself. Now, I will spend more time with her and make the ceremony a special and perfect one."

Lin added he would take a rest and will not think about his future career.

"Now, the most important thing is to complete my wedding ceremony," he said. "I have thought about this since before the Olympics. Only having completed the wedding will I have time to think about my career.

"I hope I can give Fang Fang (Xie's nickname) an unforgettable wedding, because it is the most important moment in our lives."

Lin has five tattoos, one of which reads "FF".

Though details of the ceremony are secret, Lin confirmed that three of the world's top badminton players will attend: Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia, Indonesian Taufik Hidayat and Denmark's No 1 Peter Gade.

(China Daily 08/22/2012 page22)