POLL – Is suspension of Kim & Lee fair?

Korean men’s doubles players Kim Ki Jung and Lee Yong Dae have been suspended by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) for one year.   We’d like your opinion on that ruling.  Is it fair, too harsh, or too lenient?

The BWF announced this week that Kim Ki Jung and Lee Yong Dae had been suspended for the period of one year (see related article here) for failing to update their whereabouts on the website of the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA), a procedure that is necessary for the effective performance of out-of-competition testing.  The period of the suspension means that among the tournaments that the two players will miss are the Thomas Cup Finals, the 2014 World Championships, and the Incheon Asian Games, as well as three more international tournaments held in Korea.

The BWF said that the maximum suspension period of two years was not imposed because they found the Badminton Korea Association (BKA) to be partly responsible.  The BKA had apparently assumed responsibility for continually updating the players’ whereabouts information on behalf of national team players.  Neither Kim nor Lee have been accused of testing positive for a banned substance, for refusing a doping test, nor of intentionally avoiding testing.  A little over three years ago, Hong Kong shuttler Zhou Mi received a two-year suspension for actually testing positive for a banned substance.

The two players are appealing the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).  If they were to succeed in getting the suspension reduced to 6 months, they would be eligible to participate in the Asian Games in Incheon.  A reduction to 3 months would free them up for the Thomas Cup finals in May.  The maximum sanction of a two-year suspension would have made it impossible for them to qualify for the Rio Olympics.

Please cast your vote in this poll to reflect what you believe is an appropriate response in such a case.  Please feel free to explain your choice in the comment section below.

[poll id=”24″]