An appeal by four South Korean badminton players against their disqualification from the Olympics for match-fixing has been rejected, the head of the Badminton World Federation said Wednesday.
|Last Updated: Aug 02, 2012, 01:31 AM IST|Source: Bureau
London: An appeal by four South Korean badminton players against their disqualification from the Olympics for match-fixing has been rejected, the head of the Badminton World Federation said Wednesday.
Russia, Australia, Canada and South Africa have each had a team reinstated as a result of the scandal, which saw eight players expelled from the Olympics, BWF secretary general Thomas Lund said.
Gold medal favourites and No. 1 seeds in the women`s doubles, Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang of China, were excluded along with with two Korean pairs, Jung Kyung Eun and Kim Ha Na and Ha Jung Eun and Kim Min Jung.
Indonesia`s Greysia Polii and Meiliana Jauhari were also expelled.
The players had been charged with unsporting behaviour after playing their last round of group stage matches Tuesday below par, regularly netting serves and smashing wide.
All four pairs had already qualified for the quarterfinals, but the Chinese team stood accused of not wanting Wang and Yu to face its other duo, Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei, until the final, while the South Korean teams could have avoided playing each other in the next round.
The South Koreans and Indonesians had launched appeals, but none of the players will be reinstated, Lund said.
"Before the Indonesian appeal was considered, Indonesia had decided to withdraw. Only the Korean cases were considered by appeals chairman," Lund said.
"The decision was to reject the case thereby the decision from this morning stands."
He added that the players involved would receive no further punishment beyond disqualification from the Olympics.
Some leading badminton figures have criticized the decision to introduce an opening group stage for London, saying that it created opportunities to manipulate the draw that did not exist in the previous knockout format.
"We have a problem here and that has to be looked at very seriously when we get to that stage," Lund said of the concerns, adding that the group stage had been a "tremendous success" because it allowed lower-ranked players to have more time on court.
IANS
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.