International

Eight badminton players disqualified from olympics

London: The Badminton World Federation disqualified eight players at the London 2012 Olympics, after they were trying to lose matches to receive a more favorable place in the tournament.

They were disqualified following a formal disciplinary hearing by the Badminton World Federation, but were not expelled from the Games. It was not clear what that meant for their future participation in London.

The controversy overshadowed spectacular action in the pool late on Tuesday, when U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps’s historic 19th medal made him the most decorated Olympian of all time.

On the fifth full day of full sporting competition, Britain won its first gold of the Games when Helen Glover and Heather Stanning rowed to victory in the women’s pair, ending an increasingly agonised wait for host nation fans.

The euphoria was tempered by the previous night’s events at Wembley Arena in London, where the crowd shouted abuse at the players as badminton matches descended into farce when the teams deliberately sprayed shots and duffed serves.

The players involved were China’s world champions Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang, Indonesia’s Greysia Polii and Meiliana Jauhari and two South Korean pairs – Jung Kyung-eun and Kim Ha-na, and Ha Jung-eun and Kim Min-jung.

Men’s singles champion Lin Dan broke ranks with his  badminton compatriots, saying such tactics were not in the Olympic spirit.

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