South African badminton players dominated the recent All African Championships, but despite nine medals, their participation in the Athens Olympics is still in the balance.

As the country's best badminton players travel to Jakarta, Indonesia, this week to represent South Africa at the Thomas and Uber Cups, they can reflect on a successful season.

Not only did South Africa become the first African country ever to participate in the Thomas and Uber Cups, which are the world championships for men's and women's national teams respectively, but they also dominated the medals table at the All African Championships in Mauritius last month.

Although the whole team qualify for the Olympics according to the criteria of the International Badminton Federation, the ultimate decision rests with the national Olympic committee, NOCSA.
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