Olympic badminton players face charges over lackluster matches




By Jethro Mullen and Hilary Whiteman, CNN

updated 6:55 AM EDT, Wed August 1, 2012







http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/01/sport/olympics-badminton-scandal/index.html?hpt=hp_t1


(CNN) -- Eight Olympic women's badminton players
face a disciplinary hearing after being accused of "not using one's best
efforts to win a match" in doubles contests that drew boos from
spectators.
The Badminton World Federation says it will hold the hearing on Wednesday.


The players -- four from
South Korea, two from China and two from Indonesia -- have also been
charged with "conducting oneself in a manner that is clearly abusive or
detrimental to the sport" during matches on Tuesday, the federation said
in a statement.
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The charges result from
two lackluster contests in London that angered the watching crowds as
the doubles pairs appeared to be trying to lose the matches in order to
ensure a more favorable draw later in the competition.




British sports fans going
into the Olympic Park on Wednesday called it "shocking" after seeing
parts of the matches on television.
"It's not in the spirit of the thing," said Kevin Button, from Ashford in Kent, just outside of London.


"And it's so disappointing for the people who came to see it," his wife Tina said. "It leaves a bit of a sour taste."


Read more: Five things to watch for Wednesday


The eight players
concerned had all already qualified for the quarterfinals of the
tournament before the final matches of the group stage on Tuesday night.
But the results of the
last group matches mean the Chinese pair, Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang --
ranked No. 1 in the world -- avoid potentially facing another top
Chinese duo until the final on Saturday.
The Chinese Olympic delegation is also investigating the Chinese players' conduct, it said in a statement Wednesday.


"Upon learning the
incident, the delegation leadership has ordered an investigation into
what and why it happened," the statement said.
"The Chinese Olympic
Committee has always advocated athletes carrying forward the Olympic
spirit during competitions. We promote the spirit of fair and equitable
competitions, and oppose any violations of such sports spirit and ethics
for any reason or in any form," the delegation said.
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In the first of the
Tuesday matches under scrutiny, China's Wang and Yu played South Korea's
Jung Kyung-eun and Kim Ha-na in a game in which "neither side seemed to
be exerting themselves," the official Olympic news service said.
After a several serves
by both pairs went into the net, the tournament referee Torsten Berg was
called to the court, the news service reported, "where he warned all
four players amid a chorus of boos from the crowd."
The South Koreans
eventually won the "repeatedly interrupted match," securing first place
in their group, according to the news service. But that puts them in the
same side of the draw as Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei, a Chinese duo who
are ranked No. 2 in the world.
The second match in
question took place about an hour later, pitting South Korea's Ha
Jung-eun and Kim Min-jung against the Indonesians Meiliana Jauhari and
Greysia Polii.
Play in that contest was
"sluggish early on," the Olympic news service reported, and Berg was
called onto the court at least twice "with the crowd calling for the
players to be sent off."
The South Koreans
finally won the contest and will face the top-ranked Chinese pair Wang
and Yu in the quarterfinals. The Indonesian duo will meet South Korea's
Jung and Kim Ha-na, who are ranked eighth in the world.
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