Jakarta: With their razor sharp reflexes, fancy footwork and lithe torsos, Asians have reigned supreme in badminton at the Olympic Games and in almost every other tournament for that matter.

But at next month's Olympic Games in Sydney, the cream of Indonesia, China and South Korea will face stiffer competition, even though they should preserve their dominance.

Since being introduced at the 1992 Barcelona Games, all but one badminton gold has been hung around the neck of an Asian player.

Danish player Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen broke Asia's streak in the 1996 Atlanta Games when he outstroked Chinese favourite Dong Jiong in the prestigious men's singles.

Larsen's countryman, Peter Gade Christensen, ranked world number one in the men's singles, says the Danes are ready for the challenge at the Sydney Games next month.

"Right now, Sydney is all that we are thinking of," he told Reuters during the Indonesian Open last month. Players from Denmark, the leading non-Asian badminton nation, even chose to miss the recent Malaysian Open, the last major grand prix before Sydney due to their Olympic preparations.

For some Asian countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia, badminton has been the sole path to Olympic glory. Malaysia broke a 40-year Olympic medal drought in 1996 when badminton players brought home one silver and two bronze from Atlanta.

Although archers gave Indonesia their first medal in 1988, all of their three Olympic golds have come from badminton, a sport played with relish across the world's largest archipelago. "We want to continue our tradition of getting gold. (Badminton) Gold in Sydney, why not?" said Arie Sudewo, deputy chairman of the Indonesian National Sports Committee.

(c) Reuters Limited. Click here for Restrictions