Badminton: No refunds for spectators of thrown matches despite day of shame

 

Wembley

If Sir Kingsley Amis had ever had the slightest interest in sport, he would be looking down from the great saloon bar in the sky today and reprising his grump that "more means worse".

That was essentially how the farce of badminton's day of shame, when four women's doubles pairs were found guilty of trying to lose in order to earn an easier quarter-final tie, came about. For the London Games, the format of badminton events has been changed from straight knockout to a group system, leading into the quarter-finals. The intention was to offer more matches and greater exposure, in particular to those lower-ranked countries whose interest would normally not last long.

The strategy rebounded spectacularly when, as can happen in any sport using that format, players went into their last match knowing they had already qualified.

That, coincidentally, was the position just 100 yards away at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday night, when Great Britain's women's football team took on Brazil – except that they went all out for a famous victory. Similarly, conspiracy theorists had suggested that the men's football team playing in Cardiff last night would benefit from finishing second in their group rather than top.

The other point about the badminton was that the losers knew who their opponents would be, as not all final group matches started at the same time – something Fifa and Uefa introduced after the notorious non-aggression pact between Germany and Austria at the 1982 World Cup.

Thus two Korean pairs, one Chinese and one Indonesian all wanted to avoid playing the world No 2 pair, China's Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei.

Thomas Lund, the Badminton World Federation's chief operating officer, denied the scandal would affect the sport's status within the Olympics. He said spectators who had been present for the matches in question would not be given refunds as they had received good value from other games played during the session. He admitted: "We have to be clear that there has been a problem to take into the debrief after the Games."

Pairs from Australia, Russia, Canada and South Africa, who had all been put on standby, were reinstated.

The Russians took advantage by beating the South Africans 21-9, 21-7 to reach the semi-final, while Canada beat Australia 21-9, 18-21, 21-18.

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
Caption competition
Caption competition
News in pictures
World news in pictures
Sport blogs

On The Road at the Giro d’Italia: It sounds sadistic, but the team live for the mountain stages

Three weeks ago as I drove off the Eurostar, I remember thinking what a very long time it was until ...

by Martin Ayres

iBet: Rose has the ammunition for Wentworth

McDowell did brilliantly to land the World Match Play title in Bulgaria last week, but it’s a format...

by Gareth Purnell

Brits on fire in the wet at Le Mans!

Wow - what a weekend for British Motorcycle racing!

by Luke Wilkins

       

Day In a Page

James Pembroke: The man who's eaten everywhere

The man who's eaten everywhere

Few people know more about restaurants than James Pembroke, who only spent five mealtimes at home during his entire childhood.
A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?

A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?

The young JFK praised 'superior' Nordic races during visits to Germany
Banned Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof to attend Cannes Film Festival 2013, his first public appearance since prison

Banned Iranian director to attend Cannes Film Festival

Mohammad Rasoulof to make his first public appearance since being imprisoned three years ago
Seeing the larger picture: Inspiring images of space

Seeing the larger picture: Inspiring images of space

An exhibition explores images how photography has shaped astronomy
Eat Spam and carry on: Wartime pamphlets could teach us a thing or two about healthy, thrifty eating

Eat Spam and carry on

Wartime pamphlets could teach us a thing or two about healthy, thrifty eating
Facial hair: Cat beards and the purrrsuit of excellence

Facial hair

Cat beards and the purrrsuit of excellence
The 10 Best salt and pepper sets

The 10 Best salt and pepper sets

Whether they're for everyday use or to make your dining table look just right, it's worth getting a stylish shaker...
Thomas Müller: We couldn't handle losing a Champions League Final again

Thomas Müller: We couldn't handle losing a Champions League Final again

The Bayern Munich forward tells Tim Rich his side have to shed chokers' tag after two recent final defeats
Giro d'Italia: The Stelvio Pass - cycling's killer climb

The Stelvio Pass - cycling's killer climb

As the Giro d'Italia tackles the brutal climb, Simon Usborne takes on the snow and switchbacks – and soon realises what the fuss is about
National archives: Edward VIII’s phone calls - and how MI5 bugged them

Edward VIII’s phone calls - and how MI5 bugged them

Newly unearthed papers reveal a shocking extra dimension to the constitutional crisis over monarch’s abdication
Sent down at the Old Bailey: A tour of the world's most famous court

Sent down at the Old Bailey

A tour of the world's most famous court
Hollywood's random acts of red-carpet kindness

Hollywood's random acts of red-carpet kindness

The Hangover actor Zach Galifianakis’s date for his movie premieres isn’t arm candy  – it’s his 87-year-old friend who he saved from homelessness
British football scores an own goal

British football scores an own goal

Many managers barely survive a year in post. Martin Baker talks to experts who make a case for clubs using forensic business skills to find the best staff
James Lawton: Sergio Garcia cracks as major fault line opens up again

James Lawton

Sergio Garcia cracks as major fault line opens up again
Dylan Hartley: Northampton have spent the season proving all our critics wrong

Dylan Hartley talks tough

Northampton have spent the season proving all our critics wrong