Disciplinary action for doubles pairs
The Badminton World Federation claim four women's doubles pairs apparently tried to throw matches on Tuesday
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has launched disciplinary proceedings after four women's doubles pairs apparently tried to throw matches at London 2012.
In scenes of farce at Wembley Arena on Tuesday night, a pair from China, two from South Korea and another from Indonesia seemed to want to lose in an attempt to manipulate the draw.
A statement from the BWF confirmed that all four pairs would face charges of "not using one's best efforts to win a match" and "conducting oneself in a manner that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the sport". A disciplinary hearing will be held later with a decision announced in due course.
At present all four pairs are included in the order of play with their quarter-finals scheduled for the evening session.
All the players were booed by an irate crowd as serves were deliberately hit into the net and shots hit wide and long on an embarrassing evening for the sport. All four pairs had already qualified for the last eight meaning that the only issues at stake were the final placings in the first-round group stage.
The fiasco began when Chinese top seeds Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang started to show little interest in beating Koreans Jung Kyung-eun and Kim Ha-na to finish top of Group A. Coming second would have meant avoiding compatriots and second seeds Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei at least until the final.
Tian and Zhao had been sent off their natural path to the final as second seeds by defeat to Denmark's Kamilla Rytter Juhl and Christinna Pedersen earlier in the day. The Koreans responded to China's antics by copying them and referee Thorsten Berg emerged to warn all the players. The match restarted and the Koreans went on to win 21-14 21-11.
The matter did not end there as a second Korean pair, the third seeds Ha Jung-eun and Kim Min-jung, then attempted to engineer defeat in their match against Indonesia's Meiliana Jauhari and Greysia Polii. Their motive was apparent retaliation to avoid Wang and Yu in the quarter-finals, an outcome they failed to achieve as they eventually won 18-21 21-14 21-12.
The Indonesians were not bystanders in the affair either as they responded to the Koreans by trying to lose themselves. With the crowd getting increasingly restless, Berg again intervened and brandished the black card to disqualify the players.
He quickly rescinded his decision on protest but returned courtside, despite an attempt to restrain him by the Indonesia coach, as the histrionics - now including time-wasting - continued.
A cheat is a cheat no matter how you describe or try to wash it over.
They could be booed on & off the court by all nations if they are allowed to play on which they should not. There are princibles in sportmanship, which should be upheld .
I notice they are top of the medal leader board . Have we missed somethink here ? has anythink underlining gone on in any previous other contests ? I haven't watched China & certainly will not now.
Keep the Games clean the officials would if it was drugs send them back to China & let there people know they are not welcome in London & at the OLYMPIC GAMES. Chimese badminton players this is for you GO HOME
The same should happen to all cheats and it should be a lifetime ban for all of them.
Also, there should not be any professionals allowed to compete in any Olympic or Commonwealth games competition.
As for reinstating other athletes that have previously been found guilty of cheating, it's a disgrace that they are allowed back in.
And that includes british athletes.
Cheats should realise that they will never benefit from their misdemeanors. The IOC are a disgrace for allowing banned athletes to participate, overturning decisions by that athlete's country to ban them.
All of these contestants should have been immediatly disqualified, to not do so just sends a message that it's ok to cheat, what's the point of drug testing if cheating is allowed and approved of by the authorities.
If they have the cheek to protest then tell them it's either they accept that punishment or they will have their country disqualified from the competition and all medals so far won, revoked and awarded to the relevant countries.
