Lin Dan was seen playing football in Changsha, China recently. Taking the centre stage on the field, Lin Dan dribbled the ball with ease in a video that was widely shared on social media yesterday.

The Chinese badminton team returned to Chengdu for quarantine after returning from England. Thereafter, the whole team has been in confined training there.

According to a report on Sohu, Xia Xuanze, men’s singles head coach of the Chinese national team said that Lin Dan asked for permission to go home to visit his family at the end of April when the quarantine was finished.

Lin Dan plays football in Changsha.

In May, the two-time Olympic Champion returned to his hometown, Longyan. He played football with the local players. Then he was most recently seen playing football in Changsha.

Lin Dan is ranked number 26 in the latest Olympic qualifications, behind his juniors Chen Long (No. 5), Shi Yu Qi (No. 11), Huang Yu Xiang (No. 21), and Lu Guang Zu (No. 23). The possibility of him competing in the Olympics is getting slimmer by the day.

This year, he has crashed out in the first rounds of three tournaments. Even so, coach Xia Xuanze said the 36-year-old still aims to compete at the Tokyo Olympics.