China’s Yu quits badminton after scandal

Mangalore Today News Network/DHNS

Beijing, Aug 2, 2012 (AFP): One of the star Chinese badminton players disqualified from the Olympics for throwing a match has announced she is quitting the sport, saying her dreams had been "heartlessly shattered".

"This is my last time competing. Goodbye Badminton World Federation, goodbye my beloved badminton," Yu Yang said on her Weibo, or microblog, late Wednesday. "You have heartlessly shattered our dreams. It is just unforgiveable."

Yu, 26, and her partner Wang Xiaoli were disqualified by the Badminton World Federation for "not using one’s best efforts to win a match" -- an incident that sparked anger among Chinese sports fans. The scandal has been one of the most talked-about subjects on China’s Twitter-like microblogs, with many fans calling it a "humiliation" for the national team.

The Badminton World Federation also disqualified two South Korean pairs and one Indonesian duo for trying to lose their first-round games to secure better standing for the following knockout round.

Crowds booed their lacklustre performances on Tuesday as they appeared to deliberately hit the shuttlecock into the net or out of bounds.