Yao Jie

Yao Jie (simplified Chinese: 姚洁; traditional Chinese: 姚潔; pinyin: Yáo Jié; born 10 April 1977) is a Chinese-born female badminton player who now resides in the Netherlands.

Yao is one of a number of badminton players who have emigrated from China, in part, because the depth of badminton talent in that country has made it difficult for them to be selected for major international competitions . Since moving to the Netherlands Yao has won women's singles at the Dutch Open (2003, 2008, 2011), the Thailand Open (2004, 2005), the biennial European Championships (2002), and at numerous Dutch National Championships. She was a bronze medalist in both the 2004 and 2006 European Badminton Championships,and was a runner-up to Zhang Ning at the China Open in 2006. Her performances at 2004 Olympic Games and at recent BWF World Championships have not been among her strongest. She was eliminated in the round of 16 at the Athens Games by Hong Kong's Wang Chen and has proceeded no farther than that round in any of her World Championship appearances.