[DaveSmith99]

It's good to see that they have been appropriately punished by being disqualified.

[lonelyandlovely]

Fully support the disqualificated decision, although a little bit sad of it. The IOC should also think about changing the incomplete rules.

[Matthew_Lowson]

Excellent decision to disqualify the teams from the competition - and I hope their appeal fails as it was clear what they had been trying to do. It goes completely against the ethos

(Original post by Olympic Oath)
In the name of all the competitors I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, committing ourselves to a sport without doping and without drugs, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams.

I don't think it means Group Stages are to blame, just the way that they end up being composed. When you have a clear schedule then this situation can occur. I personally approve of a Group play system as it's a hell of long way to go just for a single game.

I suggested making it double elimination in Group play, where points don't apply. You win two matches and you are through.

A) 1 v 2
B) 3 v 4

C) Winner A v Winner B - (winner of this match wins the Group)
D) Loser A v Loser B - (loser finishes bottom of the group)

E) Loser C v Winner D (Winner finishes second in group, loser finishes third)

Alternatively don't schedule the second set of group fixtures until after the opening game - Having the winners play each other in the second group game guarantees that each group will go to the final round of matches.

[onda]

I don't know why we are blaming the players:s

If anyone blame the IOC for having this format.

They were already quaified, so why should they be forced to waste unnecessary energy? IMO this should have never happened.

At the end of the day the Objective is to win a medal, so why should they sacrifice their chances of winning gold?

I'm sorry, but I am with the players. It is rediculous

[Jack93o]

Bloody harsh but understandable. The main people to blame are the idiots who set up this system in the first place. Whats really unfair are that the winners of that match would've been put at a disadvantage in the next round, absolute bull****, I would've probably done ths same as well if I was in their positions.

Does anyone know what would happen with the draw now that theres suddenly 8 fewer players?

[Strangey]

(Original post by These Streets)
I cannot condone the actions of the players - they were disgraceful - but how is this any different to swimmers holding back in the heats and conserving energy for the other events they've entered in the day?

You raise a good point.

It's really quite different though. No one is saying that the badminton players had to put their heart and soul into it; just that they had to play the game properly.

Swimmers conserve their energy for the next round, and rightly so. There's no point trying to be brilliant in qualifiers, and then crash out in the next round. If swimmers started mucking about though (I'm thinking Olympic-sized splashing) then people would get annoyed.

The badminton players weren't conserving energy, they were trying to throw the match. Let's hope no one had put money on those matches (from either team) because then they will be in serious trouble.

[lonelyandlovely]

It becomes even more funny on Badmintion.

India's badminton coach Gopichand accuses Japan of 'wanting to lose'

London, Aug 1 (IANS) India's badminton coach Pullela Gopi Chand Wednesday accused Japanese pair of Mizuki Fujii and Reika Kakiiwa of "wanting to lose" at a Olympic Games group match here after India's Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa failed to qualify for the knockout stage in group B amid allegations of match-throwing.

Gopichand said he has raised the matter with the Badminton World Federation (BWF), which has so far indicated that no action will be taken against the Japanese pair.

India's complaint was made before the BWF announced the expulsion from the event of the South Korean pairings of Jung Kyung Eun/Kim Ha Na and Ha Jung Eun/Kim Min Jung, the top seeds and gold medal favourites Wang Xiaoli/Yu Yang of China, and Indonesian duo Greysia Polii/Meiliana Jauhari.

According to Gopichand, a former All-England champion, match-throwing does not stop there.

He claims that once China lost to Denmark in Group D Tuesday, Japan "wanted to be second" in Group B.

The No.4 seeds Fujii and Kakiiwa went down 21-19, 21-11 to the unseeded Cheng Wen Hsing and Chien Yu Chin of Chinese Taipei at the start of the afternoon session, and despite Gutta/Ponnappa winning against the Chinese Taipei pair and Singapore, the Indians failed to qualify.

"In Group B, (Chinese) Taipei had to and wanted to win, but Japan wanted to lose to be second in the group to avoid China," said Gopichand.

"We put in an appeal protest this morning and the BWF has come back saying they didn't find any bias or anything beyond the ordinary in the matches. We've filed an appeal to review that decision.

"Just because it's subtle and the crowd didn't make a noise, the TV didn't make a noise, doesn't mean it didn't happen. In this match only one team wanted to lose."

[CoAkin]

As most people would have heard by now, the badminton players of China, Indonesia and South Korea have been banned from the competing in the London 2012 Games. A lot of people have expressed their disappointment in the players them selves but what about their coaches and countries of origin. What impact did these factors have on their actions ? Maybe the pressure was so extreme, every nation wants to be represented on the podium but what happens when just one medal is not enough.

Can a athlete argue or go against the orders of an entire nation ? Although their is a lot of talk about the experience of the Olympic Games and the once in a life time experience, every country wants to win. The greatest achievement of London 2012 is not the experiences if we are honest but the Gold Medal.

[Tombola]

I do think the mentality of the country is at fault here, more so than the player themselves.

Guess it'll be a warning shot for future events.

[anna-chipie 95]

I think it's to do with the fact that it's a 'round robin' tournament, where every country plays each other, rather than a simple knockout tournament. Something about if they won, they'd have to play the world champions (although I'm not entirely sure) so both teams wanted to lose. I don't really know, it's just what I've heard.

[Converse Rocker]

(Original post by Dagnabbit)
Does anyone know if the four pairs are planning to appeal? I sincerely hope they accept their punishment and move on.

One of the Korean teams (North Korea maybe?) appealed and it was unsuccessful. I'm glad they chucked them out. Maybe the system needs to be reworked but this was just a joke to watch and anything less than disqualification would have been too little.

Can you imagine if one of those teams flew home with a Gold medal?

[Tombola]

(Original post by anna-chipie 95)
I think it's to do with the fact that it's a 'round robin' tournament, where every country plays each other, rather than a simple knockout tournament. Something about if they won, they'd have to play the world champions (although I'm not entirely sure) so both teams wanted to lose. I don't really know, it's just what I've heard.

If the chinese won, they'd be playing against their own country in the semi finals.

Obviously it'd be ideal for China to have both silver and gold if they were capable of winning it.

[fallen_acorns]

tricky situation... - if you view the whole event as one big game.. then they did nothing wrong - just the same as a sprinter holding back, staying in second untill near the end, then taking the lead... - the sprinter is staying in second on purpouse, as its the best way to get to the gold overall - similar thing overal with the badminton...

though it is still highly morally wrong, and unfair on the crowds...

cant help think that disqualification is a bit harsh, as they didnt break the rules - just were a bit of a douche..

[Hopple]

Good, they should have been kicked out. I remember back when Croatia stopped England from getting to Euro 2008, when Croatia only needed a draw to guarantee top of the group and a loss would still see them through. Even though I wanted England to win, I respect Croatia for pushing on for the final goal even if it meant nothing to them. They weren't being dicks, they were doing what they were supposed to.

You want to save energy? Bull****. At least treat it as a practice game, like you'd probably be having later on that day anyway. You're not going to get injured unless you strain yourself, and in a non-contact sport your opponents won't be able to injure you either.

[Dr00n]

Disqualification came as a result of crowd pressures and is ridiculous... They technically did nothing against the rules, however unsportsmanlike it was, they simply cleverly exploited a flawed tournament design

[Atmos]

(Original post by Dr00n)
Disqualification came as a result of crowd pressures and is ridiculous... They technically did nothing against the rules, however unsportsmanlike it was, they simply cleverly exploited a flawed tournament design

Cleverly? No, it would have been more clever to discretely lose.

They were only hitting the net, it was so blatantly obvious and cheap.

[Top Banana]

Think the organisers have to take some blame too. The new round robin format clearly encourages people to lose, they should have kept the normal knockout system...

[Chief Wiggum]

(Original post by Dr00n)
Disqualification came as a result of crowd pressures and is ridiculous... They technically did nothing against the rules, however unsportsmanlike it was, they simply cleverly exploited a flawed tournament design

Is there not some rule about having to give your best effort to win a match?

I know there's a rule like that in tennis, but I don't really know anything about badminton so I don't know if it exists there as well.

[crocker710]

Whilst it goes against the spirit of the game I don't think they should be disqualified. They have a right to play as they wish, as long as they weren't throwing the game for personal financial gain (bets / bribes), if it's within their best interest to lose that game then it's their prerogative to do so, because A) they've earned a place in the olympics and B) they've won enough games to qualify for the knockout rounds regardless of the score in the games thrown.

[social outcast]

(Original post by Dr00n)
Disqualification came as a result of crowd pressures and is ridiculous... They technically did nothing against the rules, however unsportsmanlike it was, they simply cleverly exploited a flawed tournament design

it is against the rules you can fix a game and you have to play to the best of your ability