Former Olympic champ Zhang Jun confirmes run for BWF deputy president

BEIJING - Two-time badminton Olympic gold medalist Zhang Jun confirmed on Monday that he will run in the BWF deputy presidential election.

Zhang, the current president of the Chinese Badminton Association, will compete with Khunying Patama, his counterpart from Badminton Association of Thailand and Anton Aditya Subowo, the current president of Badminton Asia, to run for the position.

"China has always been willing to involve in the planning and working of the BWF and is dedicated to helping with the development of the sport around the world. This is why I decided to join the campaign," Zhang said.

The 42-year-old Zhang partnered with Gao Ling to capture his first Olympic mixed doubles gold in Sydney 2000 and defend the title four years later in Athens.

The BWF will vote for the winning candidate in May, during the Sudirman Cup tournament in Nanning.

The world governing body of badminton accepted the resignation of its former deputy president Gustavo Salazar Delgado due to "personal reasons unrelated to BWF business" in June last year which caused the vacancy of the position.