Match-fixing in Olympics: Expulsions could help badminton with IOC

Olympic badminton women's doubles players were glad to see eight expulsions issued for match-fixing by the Badminton World Federation on Wednesday before the scandal risked the sport's Olympic status.

"Something had to be done or it would have been a slap in the face of the IOC (International Olympic Committee)," said South African Michelle Edwards, one of eight women to reach the quarter-finals due to the disqualifications.

"The last thing we want is badminton to be thrown out of the Olympics for future generations. It would be sad if badminton was thrown out over something like that.

"They had to do something. It would have been shocking if they hadn't."

Denmark's Christinna Pedersen and Kamilla Juhl upset China's Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei 22-20, 21-12 on Tuesday, prompting all four duos in later matches to send shuttlecocks into the net or beyond the boundaries time and again, spectators booing as each duo tried to lose to avoid facing the Chinese early.

"It's a bit our fault this circus has happened," Pedersen said. "It's not good for the sport when they play like that," Juhl said.

On Wednesday, the federation expelled Chinese top seeds Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang, Indonesia's Greysia Polii and Meiliana Jauhari and South Korean duos Jung Kyung-Eun and Kim Ha-Na and Ha Jung Eun and Kim Min Jung.

"Definitely it was a good decision," said Australia's Renuga Veera.

"When the Chinese are trying very hard to lose, it's unfair to us," said Taiwan's Cheng Wen Hsing said
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But Juhl and Pedersen were hurting after losing their quarter-final to Japan's Mizuki Fujii and Reika Kakiiwa 22-20, 21-10 and seeing Russian and Canadian pairs, who struggled in the preliminary round but were promoted into the knockout round after the expulsions, reach the last four.