China’s Badminton Team Disgraces Country….and Sport.

The crowd booed as the badminton players dumped shots into the net, trying to improve their positioning for the next round. The umpire and tournament referee Torsten Berg issued warnings, imploring them to exert maximum effort.

Badminton's governing body (Don't laugh, they actually have a governing body)  finally had its say Wednesday, and it wasn't pleased, either.

Four teams were kicked out of the women's doubles at the London Games for trying to lose on purpose Tuesday, and a couple of the sport's top players said they were embarrassed by the whole episode

The eight doubles players from China, South Korea and Indonesia were cited by the Badminton World Federation for "conducting oneself in a manner that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the sport."

"We have to be clear, there has been a problem here and we have to take that problem very seriously," federation secretary general Thomas Lund said. "There are things we can improve on and look at after this competition."

South Korea and Indonesia appealed the disqualification, but the federation rejected the South Korean appeal and the Indonesia challenge was withdrawn. China had accepted the federation's earlier decision.

"We applaud the federation for having taken swift and decisive action," IOC spokesman Mark Adams sa. "Such behavior is incompatible with the Olympic values."

The eight disqualified players are world doubles champions Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang of China and their South Korean opponents Jung Kyun-eun and Kim Ha-na, along with South Korea's Ha Jung-eun and Kim Min-jung and Indonesia's  Meilina Juahari and Grevesia Pollii.

The players went before a disciplinary hearing after spectators at the arena booed their performance when it became clear they were deliberately trying to lose.

So apparently the "spectators" (yes, all 6 of them) were upset because they wanted to see a real deal Badminton match but these "athletes" decided to try and cheat the system....when you cheat at Badminton, life can only go up from there right?

As I'm writing this, I've gotten word that one of the Chinese players decided to retire from Badminton forever.....well professionally anyway, there's always the backyard picnic circuit.