On the day after the England team withdrew from the World Badminton Championships in India citing terrorist threats, Chinese sportswear manufacturer Li Ning has upped its support of the sport.

In a new two-year sponsorship deal, Indian badminton's power couple, husband and wife players Chetan Anand and Jwala Gutta will sport Li Ning clothing and equipment when not competing in team events.

The Indian badminton team is currently sponsored by Yonex but this latest move represents a significant challenge to the market leader. Yonex will be only too aware that Li Ning, renowned for its ambush marketing tactics, was able to secure its sponsorship deals with both the Chinese team abd the Singaporean team by first sponsoring individual players.

Vicky Lim, Li Ning marketing manager, was delighted that the company had got a valuable grip on the growing Indian market, saying badminton is becoming increasingly popular in India and that Indian players needed to be recognised for their achievements.

While figures for the latest deal were not disclosed, it is believed that Anand and Gutta could receive up to US$200,000 over the two year period.