Ace Chinese badminton player Lin Dan has apologised for an extra-marital affair he had when his wife was pregnant, shortly after his "intimate" photos with a model went viral on social media.

In response to the exposure, Lin who enjoys vast popularity wrote on his Sina Weibo account yesterday that "as a man, I do not want to defend myself for what I have done. My behaviour has hurt my family. I hereby apologise to my family," state-run Global Times reported today.

Two sponsors who planned to cooperate with Lin have cancelled their plans, according to news site, myzaker.Com.


His other sponsors, including Yonex, D&G and Montblanc, have not made any comment on whether they will suspend their sponsorships as of press time.