Wang Wenjiao

Wang Wenjiao (; 22 November 1933 – 25 December 2022) was an Indonesian-born Chinese badminton player and coach known as the "Godfather" of Chinese badminton. 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 Wang was born in 1933 in Surakarta (Solo), Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), 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. After the trip, Wang and his friend Chen Fushou decided to move to China in 1954 to develop the sport in their ancestral country. The duo helped establish the Fujian provincial badminton team, the first badminton team in the PRC, in December 1956. 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.

Honours and recognition Wang has been called the "Godfather" of Chinese badminton. 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.