might not be very sporting to the crowd, but should never be thrown out

Only just catching up on this news, but sounds preposterous to me. Sports officials never cease to amaze me with their stupidity. Has there been any sort of appeal or is it too late?

The Badminton players were deliberately trying not to win gold?

Bolt was clearly not interested in winning the fastest time over the last 10m but still wanted to win gold imo

some have appealed,

why are the players getting stick but not the organisers?

what kind of mugget devises a competition format that creates a loophole like that, where it's in a teams interest to lose to get a better draw?

reinstate the teams, fire the morons at the governing body who came up with this

Right decision to kick em out imo hope they chuck out the appeals too, just a pity Germany and Austria weren't booted out of that world cup all those years ago

'Why was Bolt not DQ in the 100m in Beijing for not trying in the last 10m? '

Technically he didn't use his best efforts in the last 10 but what he did was never 'detrimental or abusive to the sport' which is what they've been done for.  It was pathetic what they did, even if they didn't want to give it 100%, deliberately serving faults makes a mockery of it

Bolt slowing and mocking the opposition not in Olympic spirit either imo

I didn't hear the crowd booing him

If you get booed by the crowd you should get Disqualified?

Serves them right.

Bolt had the gold one and was putting on a show which was largely embraced, quite the opposite with these badminton players

Ridiculous precedent to set. Basically if the same situation arises the players will still try to lose, but it will become a game of poker. At what point does trying to lose become a disqualification.

So, if in a football World Cup, you could avoid, say Spain, by losing your final qualifier game, it would be ok to go out and score 20 own goals ?

What has whether the crowd appreciated it got to do with the price of a packet of biscuits Don?

Chelsea played anti football to win the CL but they did not get kicked out.

You cant compare an athlete easing up in the heats to a match in which both teams are trying to lose. Its not a fair comparison.

Sport is nothing without the people who watch it. To cheat the people who watched this event is deserving of disqualification.

Chelsea played to win, as did Bolt.  Slight difference between taking your foot off the gas at the end and trying to lose a match from the outset

The Badminton players are using the best way to win too.

Considering the crowd ultimately runs the Olympics i'd say it has a lot to do with it, what they did was damaging and hurtful to the sport, what Bolt did wasn't

The fact that it may suit teams to lose in certain situations in world cups is also not a fair comparison.

The comparison would be if two teams actively tried to lose a match by kicking the football into their goals when they had possession.

Not all the serves went into the net.

How many would have been acceptable?

Yes, "own goals". Doesn't have to be both teams.

If they were so scared of the opposition in the draw they weren't going to win anything anyway.

Why do they have seedinng in tennis then sumo?

i see china playing the nuke---threatening to pull out games

unbelievably stupid to make it look so obvious that any idiot watching could see what was going on

For the financial benefit of tournament organisers in the first instance

hang on so do gb have a chance?

what's the final?

who wins medals?

Teams had already qualified for next round. No reason why they should not ease up.

Plenty of athletes ease up when they could win a heat and finish in 2nd/3rd place in the heat instead and qualify.

Total non story.

In athletics you'd still face the same opposition in the next round though.

can't compare t athletics!!!

in athletics you don't face runners one on one.

not the players fault but the structure... not very good for people who paid to watch it, not in the spirit of the olympics but they couldve masked it better...

what should happen is they don't know their opponent... you qualify and there's a redraw.

You of course would not necessarily meet the same opposition in the next round in athletics.

Nothing wrong with badminton players conserving energy and not trying if already qualified just as in athletics and other events.

again, can't use athletics in your argument.

totally different concept.

it was immoral but they are not totally to blame.

basically match fixing what they did

Nothing wrong with throwing out match fixers either.

To compare this to athletics is just ridiculous.

In athletics you are trying to conserve energy, and qualification through to the next round is all important.

In Badminton, that is not the case.

They were all deliberately trying to lose.

Kick'em out the right decision.

They are not trying to lose. Get this out of your heads.

They are trying to maximise chances of winning gold as all athletes do.

not sure if i got it right but in an earlier match, the favs (another china team) got beaten by underdog, so the winner of that match plays the supposed "stronger" china team. To put it in footballing terms, its like spain/brazil is second in another group and in your group, you are joint top, so the top 2 will try to "lose" so they dont meet spain/brazil, just that in football, u can field your reserves and things dont get that obvious.

For the China team they would want to avoid their compatriots so that they get to meet in the finals and maximise medals for their country, like in table tennis. So basically I would say change it to a format like tennis should prevent future problems because every game is a MUST win

Alright I know not all athletes in the Olympics are trying to win.

Most cyclists in road races have no interest in winning for instance.

This isn't the Bundesliga hans, we're not keen on match fixing over here

Hans... you must be a badminton fanatic and protecting your sport.

not sure what grounds you are defending the immoral actions

imagine if pakistan threw a game in the world cup to avoid playing south africa and have a favourable game versus england... think the board would have different views.

the tournament set up is wrong... the players are dumb

Have you thought of answer to my last question yet sumo?

I have no real interest in badminton.

These players are doing their best to win gold. It would be stupid of them to minimise their chances.

I think I've answered the only thing you phrased as a question to me.

These players are doing their best to win gold.
In that last game they were doing their worst to win gold

It would be stupid of them to minimise their chances.
Being caught match fixing in front of a global audience has certainly minimised their chances this time

They would have been longer odds to win gold if they won the matches so how do you work that out exactly?

its the i,o,c,s fault for allowing rules that lead to this,athletes do everything in the rules to win - no where does is say you cant loose on purpose to win,not getting enough sleep the night before is trying to loose - its wrong they ve been banned.

Read it again hans

I think you need to

these get thrown out, yet the whole tournament riddled with proven druggies that are allowed to participate

'They would have been longer odds to win gold if they won the matches so how do you work that out exactly?'

What odds are they now?

Probably still shorter than if they won.

Should win their appeal if common sense prevails.

Why?

What odds are you offering?

The appeals been rejected and the quarter finals are currently in play, what odds would you like?

If the Chinese were so unbeatable the Norwegians wouldn't have beaten them.  Be interested to see the full replay of the match

Clearly common sense did not prevail then, no interest in badminton as I said.

But clearly the players did the right thing and were punished unjustly.

The right thing? What damaging the image of the sport that they make their livelihood from and casting negative attention to their country demeaning the values of the Olympics ok

HansUlrichApfelStrudel
01 Aug 12 18:22
Joined:

16 Oct 11
| Topic/replies: 2,236 | Blogger: HansUlrichApfelStrudel's blog

I think you need to

No, I don't. I was agreeing they were doing their best to win gold, only they were doing it by playing their worst and throwing the match...

Good riddance to them.

These were qualifying matches, they had done all they needed to qualify. What do you expect from dead rubbers exactly?

Doing their worst to win gold, would have been putting 100% in to winning the match.

Some form of effort, not just chucking the match. 

FWIW

The behaviour by Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli on court violated the Olympics ideal and the spirit of fair competition. The Chinese delegation feels distressed over this matter

Who says? It's not their position to judge, the other Chinese lost in the group so they aren't unbeatable.  If they are so good then they'd have to beat them in the final anyhow

Be quite interested to see the whole match and see if Korea started pissing around as a result of China chucking it, might have some sympathy from their point of view

Just say that this was an absolutely unbeatable team they were trying to avoid.

It would be crazy to try to get into that half of the draw and have minimal chance of a medal or getting to the final and having a tiny chance of gold.

instead of getting to the final having a medal and tiny chance of gold

Doing their worst to win gold, would have been putting 100% in to winning the match.

As said previously, they were doing their best to win gold by playing their worst that game- i.e. they were doing their worst (tongue in cheek)... to win gold. Jesus christ.

IT WAS A TERRIBLE DECISION!!! ANYONE WHOM SAYS OTHERWISE IS A DILETTANTE UNAWARE OF HOW PRO SPORTS WORK!!!

Jesus Chirst?

You were the pedantic one replying in the first place sumo, calm down you will give yourself a coronary.

It may have soemthing to do with the betting patterns on the match. The bookies took a big hit on it. The outsiders came it from 11/2 to under 2/1 before the match started. Could be classed as match fixing.

athletes shouldn't be concerned with whether they're giving the required level of effort or concentration, only results! governing bodies shouldn't touch this with a barge pole, EVER!

More like clueless bookies imo

You're the one with the patent lack of humour on the subject. Pocket talking hans? You were really keen to try and get odds weren't you?

Pocket talking? That has to be the lowest form of wit on the forum. Gag used a million times before and never gets any funnier.

Clearly struck a nerve there. Keep cheering on those match fixers hans.

Of course I asked for odds thinking the appeal had not been heard. If he offered me decent odds I would have checked this and placed a bet accordingly, as I would have thought common sense would have prevailed. He did not, the appeal had been heard and no bets struck.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but it was not pocket talking. Cheer up sumo, it is not the end of the world and try not to blaspheme on the forum, it makes you look like some kind of chav chelsea fan.

I believe you hans. I really do. I believe you definitely have not lost money on the badminton...

wrong wrong wrong....they're r playing for the gold not to crowd please,,,,IT IS EXACTLY THE SAME as athletes crawling in their heats or football teams not playing to win to avoid tougher apponents in the next round.....just another example of incompetent officials

Aug 1, 2012 -- 6:51PM, numer0ne wrote:

IT WAS A TERRIBLE DECISION!!! ANYONE WHOM SAYS OTHERWISE IS A DILETTANTE UNAWARE OF HOW PRO SPORTS WORK!!!

Pro sports?

Anyone remember this?

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.

yeah pro sports, v.few olympians aren't practising full-time these days

It ain't what you do it's the way that you do it.

And that's what gets results.

should be banned from all olympics from now on, end of story

The road race cycling ... other team members deliberately did not go all out (or at least tried to slow the Peleton up) to assist other team members ... so what is the difference ... as these cyclists definitely weren't trying to win for themselves ...

Aug 1, 2012 -- 9:52PM, cricnut wrote:

should be banned from all olympics from now on, end of story

Not even drugs cheats get banned for life.

undern
The road race cycling ... other team members deliberately did not go all out (or at least tried to slow the Peleton up) to assist other team members ... so what is the difference ... as these cyclists definitely weren't trying to win for themselves ...

The difference is, its a different sport and cannot be compared.  And you aren't comparing like for like. Cycling is basically a team event.

I watched part of some of the games in question. 
What the did wasn't playing softly but actually cheating, deliberately serving into the net etc.  And there is a MASSIVE difference between not putting in the effort 100% to win and trying to lose.

To compare like for like:
Football: Scoring an own goal on purpose.
Cycling:  Blocking your own man to allow someone else in another team to win, on purpose.
Cricket: Bowling wides so it runs out of play and gives your opponent free runs, on purpose.
Etc etc etc.

Now clearly, in the above examples (and I could give many more), if this happened then it would be infringing so many sporting laws that bans would take place (for example, pakistan i the cricket).

For me it was:
1) Outright cheating.
2) Against olympic spirit and
3) Showing a huge disrespect to the paying fans who had payed a lot of money to at least see a spectacle.

I am glad they are banned.

At the time of writing, China have ordered their players/staff to apoligise and that to me says they know what they were doing is wrong.

Not sure how people are defending them.

Of course you should be disqualified for match fixing.

1) Outright cheating.
Serving in the net is cheating? The matches were not fixed! You have two teams already qualified not wanting to win. If something is fixed the result is pre determined. No way of knowing which teams was going to win/lose these games.
2) Against olympic spirit and
The Olympic Spirit? I am sure old Pierre would love to know the games are now full of over paid pros and sponsored by fast food and fizzy drink companies.
3) Showing a huge disrespect to the paying fans who had payed a lot of money to at least see a spectacle.
Are people who paid to watch Chelsea matches in the CL going to get refund? What has the crowd got to do with people being DQ?

Hans

I don't see why you are defending match fixing.

Aug 2, 2012 -- 7:56AM, HansUlrichApfelStrudel wrote:

1) Outright cheating.Serving in the net is cheating? The matches were not fixed! You have two teams already qualified not wanting to win. If something is fixed the result is pre determined. No way of knowing which teams was going to win/lose these games.2) Against olympic spirit andThe Olympic Spirit? I am sure old Pierre would love to know the games are now full of over paid pros and sponsored by fast food and fizzy drink companies.3) Showing a huge disrespect to the paying fans who had payed a lot of money to at least see a spectacle.Are people who paid to watch Chelsea matches in the CL going to get refund? What has the crowd got to do with people being DQ?

1) Serving in the net on purpose is indeed cheating. 
2) With such a great 'show', it has to be paid for.  Do you think in the old days, no-one made money out of it?
3) Why would they?  Chelsea didn't try to lose on purpose.  Had they done that, I am sure they would have received long bans.

Chinese delegation distressed?

should be thrown into jail like the pakistani cricketers

The irony re the Chinese is that it makes it easier for their other doubles pair to win the gold after all the DSQs

When both teams are trying to lose for strategic reasons , it is hardly match fixing .

Swimmers I suspect quite often do not swim full out in the heats  , I am sure occasionally to obtain a certain lane , so is that against the so-called Olympic ideal .  Likewise other sports .

Think the decision to ban the badminton players is ridiculous .  Officialdom which created the situation is more guilty of idiocy than the people on court . If the outcome of a match like this is irrelevant to the competition it should not be played , it should be declared a tie .  Pretty obvious . That other sports have the same stupid rules is irrelevant  , its just easier to not try in soccer than in badminton . Know we have to go back to the sixties for proven non trying / match fixing in these isles , Bronco and Peter etc , but lots of other dodgy results have been noticed in soccer but no players have been banned . Fines yes probably , although not interested enough in soccer to bother to find out , just a gut feeling from over the years .

But as usual the wrath of the organisers descends on the weakest link .  If they had been from the USA or Britain I doubt they would have had the same treatment.

lets hope we now see all the football teams thrown out for not trying to win every match...but of course they're always trying....lets see all the crawling athletes chucked out in the elimination heats..."not fixing",well surely this plays into the hands of the finishers and if two people from the same country r in the same heat may be used as ploy to get them both through...its happening in all the competions to give themselves the best chance for a "medal"....if people dont like it change all the competions to a straight "knock out " at every stage.....these athletes hava trained bloody hard for years to get this far and in my view its bloody disgusting to be kicked out for doing your best to give yourselves the best chance...if u want to blame anyone blame the idiot officials responsible for the rules not the competitors...lock old coe and his chums up and throw away the key....end of

Yes blame Coe because the badminton players cheated.

As ever, you have ranted and ranted without actually addressing any of the issues.   

The main issue being, that there is a MASSIVE difference between not trying your hardest and actually trying to lose.

To give an example, my team was in the final of the fa cup.  Now, it was such a big deal that nobody wanted to get injured so in games leading up, there were not so many hard tackles flying in etc and my team missed out on promotion.
This was accepted by the fans, the players will still trying, just being careful etc.
If however, my team had started to score own goals on purpose, the fans would have been mad and the team would have been in BIG trouble.

That is the case here.  It wasn't that the badminton players were not trying their hardest, but actually hitting the ball out/into the net on purpose in order to lose.

i agree organisation of the tournament was wrong but to ban them was right for being so dumb and doing it so blatantly

people paid good money for that and it was a sham

Surely you people aren't denying that they FIXED the result of that match.

They are lucky they only got DQ'd.

Dark Target , they did not fix the match .  They were both trying not to win which is different .  If you were betting on it it would have become the case that you were trying to identify which of the teams wanted to lose the most .

A story which has always gone the rounds concerned dog racing , where an owner ( via a bookie ) laid his own dog .  To his chagrin the dog won , someone owned the other 5 dogs and they had been "stopped" more than his .  Happens .

Perhaps another example is British Triathlon selecting athletes which are 'Domestiques' for other athletes .....

These domestiques aren't the quickest triathletes that Britain has but have been selected purely to help someone else .... while it also goes against BTA charter that it is not a team sport ....

I agree the badminton players should not be disqualified.

However, if teams are to be disqualified for non trying then I'd like to nominate the GB football team....1-1 with Senegal for ffs, the football is dull and boring most don't seem interested, the manger is failing to inspire his players.

forest000....if u try harder to read i suggested "knock out"...solution o.k.....not blaming COE?...y the f NOT ...OF OF COURSE IT WASNT THE GREEDY BANKerS FAULT EITHER WAS IT....coes been on air spouting on about them...he really wants to look in the mirror and ask himself who's that pr*t...the rule is WIN THE GOLD

japanese coach admits throwing football game---if olympics was a level playing field--japan would be thrown out.

dont hold your breath