Soldato
Thank god these teams weren't sponsored by Visa, Coke or McDonalds.
Olympic female badminton players face charges
- Thread starter RavenXXX2
- Start date
I find it kind of fascinating, because the same thing has happened in other sports before, and there doesn't appear to be any perfect way of stopping it. When you have two places going from a group to a knockout, there's always the possibility of some shenanigans. As said above, the only reason they really got caught is that they were so obvious.
Maybe a repêchage/double-elimination system would be the best way forwards? Trouble is it doubles the number of games from a normal knockout setup.
Maybe a repêchage/double-elimination system would be the best way forwards? Trouble is it doubles the number of games from a normal knockout setup.
Soldato
That is utterly disgraceful! Even I could have played better than that.
moving into knock-out stage now so further shenanigans are not possible.
Yeah but what about the games that would have included the teams disqualified? Are they promoting other teams from their groups through, or just declaring the first knockout rounds they would have been in as a forfeit?
it's in poor taste but i wouldn't call it cheating. They did enough to qualify so were holding back.
It's the same as all the swimmers we've been watching holding back during prelims and giving their all for the finals (Phelps first race he qualified in 8th place). It's perfectly acceptable to everyone but what is the difference?
It's the same as all the swimmers we've been watching holding back during prelims and giving their all for the finals (Phelps first race he qualified in 8th place). It's perfectly acceptable to everyone but what is the difference?
Not exactly cheating I agree but I think what they did goes far beyond holding back and that's the problem.
Imagine a football match where both teams are repeatedly scoring own goals in an attempt to lose the game, that's the level of "holding back" on display here.
They were so blatant about it that it could not be ignored, the IOC had to act and punished them for it.
Imagine a football match where both teams are repeatedly scoring own goals in an attempt to lose the game, that's the level of "holding back" on display here.
They were so blatant about it that it could not be ignored, the IOC had to act and punished them for it.
Yu Yang has quit the sport after the disqualifications yesterday.
While i thought the whole thing was disgusting i can't help but think the Chinese especially would have been forced to play those matches the way they did. It's a shame for those athletes in a way.
While i thought the whole thing was disgusting i can't help but think the Chinese especially would have been forced to play those matches the way they did. It's a shame for those athletes in a way.
Indeed, its not like we don't see football teams rest players after qualifying or an F1 driver let a team-mate past because he needs the points more. This thing happens all the time in sport yet these players are being penalised after working their behinds off for 4 years to get here, its very sad, even more so considering the Chinese would have been following instruction from the team leaders
Associate
I think the whole thing has been a farce and I cannot believe how much emphasis has been put on punishing the players. It is the rule makers/organisers that should ultimately be ashamed and punished for ruining the Olympic Badminton.
They made the situation impossible for the players. I would argue that Olympians are there to get medals and those medals should only be obtainable by competing at one's best. Regardless of whether you think they should always be playing at their best, the players are going to know that if they lose a certain match, they will end up better off. With this knowledge in anyone's head, there is no encouragement to try and win the game. All the players in those matches were in this position and the badminton played in those games by all players would be negatively effected as a result, regardless of whether or not they appeared to be trying.
I very much doubt that the idea to lose the matches was solely down to the players. I expect team coaches were just as aware and advising the players.
I do think the players should have dealt with the situation by refusing to play and making an official complaint about the format, rather than putting on a poor show. I think this would have gained them more respect.
I still can't help but feel sorry for them. These young people had the weight of their country, family, friends and coaches on their shoulders to get the best result possible and they were put in an impossible situation. Now they are being lynched.
They made the situation impossible for the players. I would argue that Olympians are there to get medals and those medals should only be obtainable by competing at one's best. Regardless of whether you think they should always be playing at their best, the players are going to know that if they lose a certain match, they will end up better off. With this knowledge in anyone's head, there is no encouragement to try and win the game. All the players in those matches were in this position and the badminton played in those games by all players would be negatively effected as a result, regardless of whether or not they appeared to be trying.
I very much doubt that the idea to lose the matches was solely down to the players. I expect team coaches were just as aware and advising the players.
I do think the players should have dealt with the situation by refusing to play and making an official complaint about the format, rather than putting on a poor show. I think this would have gained them more respect.
I still can't help but feel sorry for them. These young people had the weight of their country, family, friends and coaches on their shoulders to get the best result possible and they were put in an impossible situation. Now they are being lynched.
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Man of Honour
c[_]
Carecup empty. Cheaters got punished, peer pressure or not, they were in the wrong.
\(_)>
Care teapot looking a bit empty too
Carecup empty. Cheaters got punished, peer pressure or not, they were in the wrong.
\(_)>
Care teapot looking a bit empty too
There's a massive difference. It would be the equivalent of Phelps just jumping in the pool and not even bothering to swim. Besides, Phelps is a bad example as he was going for many events, and knowingly "did enough" to get through and conserve as much energy as possible. If all the top swimmers really went for it in the 1st round, the same top swimmers would more than likely still qualify in the same order but just at a quicker time.
Personally, as someone who has always been competitive and played in a fair amount of racket sport tournaments, with a "train to win" mentality - it really saddened me to see this. Imagine going to see that shocking display of "sportsmanship"
Associate
Why so many saying it's not cheating? They were not taking it easy, which would be understandable, they were trying to lose!
Cheats got what they deserved.
Cheats got what they deserved.
i don't see it as the equivalent you described. Still using swimming as a comparison I would consider the previous round robin matches to be part of the "prelim" and this last match which they gave no effort is like the last few lengths. They also "knowingly did enough to get through". They've done enough previously to qualify and were holding back to save strength and be in a tactically more advantageous position. Ironically they were playing to "win" the tournament by trying to lose the match. I see it more as the fault of the federation that choose this format.
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