London 2012 Olympics: 8 women kicked out for badminton match-fixing

We know it happened in cricket, but the level of sophistication often pulled wool over the eyes of mere mortals that they hardly notice it until the end result – an unusual victory for the underdogs at the expense of the more dominant team - or the fixer-the-great boasts about the expertise to an undercover reporter.

Both the winners and losers, when coming under the cloud of suspicion, quickly point a finger at the uncertainty, an unwritten rule of the game, both to cover their tracks and raise the index of gullibility of the loyal fans by a few notches, very often playing the nationalistic card.

When cheating is committed by new comers to the match-fixing, however, the amateurism at all levels is there for all to see with an element of comical aura around the players.

On Tuesday, a Chinese pair, an Indonesian pair and two South Korean pair were caught red handed while deliberately trying to throw the matches: at times, they were serving downward into the net; their opponents, in return, hit the shuttlecock either long or wide just to vent their frustration.

It was a kind of game that you usually see when toddlers lay their hands upon badminton rackets and shuttlecocks when their sporting parents are not around, not in a major match in the middle of the Olympic Games.

The referee, alerted by booing crowds, then warned the pairs of women players that they would be forced to face the music unless they behaved in an honourable manner in the spirit of the game, but to no avail.

The game at Wembley arena, already dubbed as the most embarrassing badminton game ever, invited booing and fury the from fans who paid a significant amount of money to watch the match: some were clearly bewildered and some were furious; this is not the kind of match they came to watch in the Olympics.

At one point, the Indonesian coach was seen arguing with the referee while defending the action of the Indonesian pair, while it was blatantly obvious what they were up to - playing to lose.

On Wednesday, the fate of the players was sealed; the Badminton World Federation disqualified the eight players in question, effectively throwing them out of the Olympics.

On positive side, China, the US and South Korea respectively dominate the medals table. Cyclist Bradley Wiggins and Women ‘s rowing pair – Helen Glover and Heather Stanning - scored the first gold medals for the Great Britain today.

- Asian Tribune -

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