Olympic-Sized Scandal Rocks Badminton

August 03, 2012 from LinkAsia

For fans used to seeing athletes compete at the very highest levels, it was a strange sight to behold Olympic Chinese and South Korean badminton players losing intentionally. As South Korean broadcaster MBC reports, the ramifications are serious.

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2012 London Olympics

The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and commonly known as London 2012, was a major international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games, as governed by the International Olympic Committee. It took place in London, Unit... Explore this topic

Badminton

Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs, who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and... Explore this topic

South Korea

South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea, is a sovereign state located in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. The name "Korea" is derived from Goryeo, a dynasty which ruled in the Middle Ages. Its neighbors are China to the west, Japan to the east, and North Korea ... Explore this topic

China

China, officially the People's Republic of China, is a sovereign state located in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population of over 1.35 billion. The PRC is a single-party state governed by the Communist Party, with its seat of government in the cap... Explore this topic

Sport

A game which involves some form of physical prowess. Explore this topic

Olympic Games

The modern Olympic Games is the leading international sporting event featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games are considered to be the world's foremost sports competition with mor... Explore this topic

Olympic Park, London

The Olympic Park, in London, United Kingdom, is a sporting complex built for the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Paralympics, situated to the east of the city adjacent to the Stratford City development. It contains the athletes' Olympic Village and several of the spor... Explore this topic

Yul Kwon

Yul Kwon is an American television host and former government official, lawyer, and management consultant based in Virginia. He first gained national recognition as the winner of the reality TV show Survivor: Cook Islands in 2006. He is currently hosting the TV series America ... Explore this topic

Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation

MBC is one of four major national South Korean television and radio networks, and is the oldest among all commercial broadcasting networks in South Korea. Munhwa is the Korean word for "culture". Its flagship terrestrial television station is Channel 11 for Digital. Twice gove... Explore this topic

LinkAsia

From Beijng to Tokyo, from Seoul to New Delhi and beyond, LinkAsia takes viewers into media about Asia -- from Asia -- offering unfiltered insight into one of the most diverse, fast-paced regions of the globe. Each week, LinkAsia brings you a unique half-hour program that co... Explore this topic

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Transcript

Yul Kwon:
The Olympics are underway in London, where Asian athletes are winning medals, as well as finding themselves in the middle of controversy. First, an American swimming coach implied that a 16-year-old Chinese gold medalist, Ye Shiwen, had used illegal doping to win the 400-meter individual medley. Ye was ultimately cleared of the charges. And then came a real scandal. In badminton, athletes from China, Indonesia, and South Korea were expelled for intentionally trying to lose so that they could face weaker opponents in later rounds. Here's MBC with the story.

Reporter:
The women's badminton pair, Kim Ha-na and Jung Kyung-eun, met the Chinese team at the final matches of group play. China's number one ranked pair suddenly turned into a different team. Ridiculous defense. Serves into the net. Players didn't even seem depressed after making mistakes.

China is suspected of deliberately trying to lose the game in order to not play against another team from their country. South Korea caught on to China's trick and started playing the same way, prompting a controversy.

The referee issued a warning to the players, and then even the head of the badminton jury asked them to play seriously, but nothing changed. Spectators booed the comical situation. South Korea beat China 2-0. However, the players left the court amid spectators jeering.

Bang Su-hyun, MBC Badminton Commentator:
It's not in the spirit of the Olympics. Even if players play their own country's team, they should do their best during the game.

Reporter:
Later, in the game featuring the team of Ha Jung-eun and Kim Min-jung, neither player was doing her best. The Badminton World Federation announced that it would investigate the players involved and consider punishing them for infringing on the spirit of sports. The group stage was introduced to make more profit by increasing the number of games, but it ended up damaging the event.

Meanwhile, Lee Yong-dae and Jung Jae-sung beat the Malaysian team and reached the quarterfinals with three straight victories. Lee Hyun-il put away Jan Jorgensen 2-0 in a matchup of Olympic badminton champions.

Yul Kwon:
One of the disqualified Chinese badminton players announced that she has quit the sport forever.

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