London 2012 Badminton: Chinese team apologises for under-par play

Li Yongbo, head coach of the Chinese badminton Olympic team has aplogised for not following the spirit of the Olympics and has said that he regretted not demonstrating the 'fighting spirit of Chinese badminton team'.

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The Chinese team of Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli were one of four doubles teams which appeared to play poorly on purpose to secure a more favorable position in the next phase of the event. Yongbo said each competition should have been taken seriously. "We didn't take each competition seriously and follow the Olympic spirit of 'higher, faster and stronger' as professional athletes. So from this angle, we did not fully understand the significance of it," he said. "So from this point of view, as the head coach, I think I should, since the Badminton World Federation has already made the decision, apologise to the Chinese fans and audience, because in fact, we didn't fully demonstrate the fighting spirit of the Chinese badminton team."

Yu also blogged on the same day (Wednesday) that she will play her final match of the competition and will retire from the sport. (read report here)

Wang however said that she will strive to play better in the future. "I will prove myself in future games. I pledge to play to my full strength in future games, in each competition, to build a new image of us among the audience in the future."