Shocking news from the London Olympics -- eight women's doubles players in badminton have been disqualified from competition. Their crime? Intentionally losing matches in order to qualify to play an easier opponent in the next round.
The teams from China, South Korea (two teams), and Indonesia all blamed one another for their actions. I guess they were using the "she made me do it" defense. Or maybe it was the "everyone is doing it" defense. Whatever. No one was buying what they were trying to sell.
In a last ditch effort to appear blameless, the athletes and their coaches claimed that the Badminton World Federation and the International Olympic Committee created the whole mess by utilizing a round-robin format for the tournament. This argument was their best effort to deflect the world's scorn and derision. While it is true that in a "one and done" arrangement teams and individuals must put forth their best effort or they risk spending the rest of the Olympics viewing the action from the nosebleed seats (assuming they can score a ticket), competitors are expected to put forth their best effort at all times, even in preliminary heats and pool play. Additionally, athletes should not act in a way that is abusive or detrimental to the sport.
Sadly, the expelled athletes failed on both counts. Their "losing" strategy failed spectacularly. Instead of losing in order to "win" and play another day, they lost and they lost it all.
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