IN BRIEF (Page 24)

Badminton

'Super Dan' gets worlds wild card

Chinese star Lin Dan will defend his title at this year's world championships after organizers gave him a wild card to raise the tournament's profile. The four-time winner was handed the only wild card for the Aug 5-11 event in Guangzhou, China, because of his "stature and fan appeal", the Badminton World Federation said. Lin's ranking has dropped to 41 in the world after his eight-month break since winning last year's Olympics.