Losing to win - Olympic Badminton

August 7, 2012 by Ron Andruff   Comments (2)

sports, clubs

Now well into the London Olympics, the world is learning a lot more about Olympic sports - and their specific rules - than it knew before the Games began late last month.  Take badminton for example.  While the rules say you have to win every match, in point of fact, Olympic athletes and coaches are looking for any available advantage, including throwing a match to save energy or to face an easier opponent in the next round.  "It's perfectly legal, but morally indefensible", said John MacGloughlin, a Britain who has played club-level badminton for 30 years. 

So was it the 8 disciplined players - from China, South Korea and Indonesia - or the tournament rules that were at fault?

Either way, those actions threw the Olympic tournament into turmoil and prompted protests from fans and officials alike knowing that world class players would throttle back to win a medal. 

Lose to win? I don't get it...

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/08/01/sport/olympics-badminton-scandal/index.html

Hey Ron,

While its not a sport I follow closely, I assume this type of "strategy" is accepted and allowed according the rules.  They should change the rules.

 

tom

Tom Barrett 4635 days ago

It's true Tom; this is a strategy to proceed as easily through the tournament as possible to find yourself in the final.  Sad way to compete by any measure.  For my part, I place the blame on the International Federation for creating such an ambiguous set of rule first, and the coaches for pushing their teams to follow them.  Ultimately both the athletes and fans lose when these are the circumstances...

A real pity for those expelled from the Olympics carrying the burden of shame for something that the sport has abetted!

RA

Ron Andruff 4635 days ago