POLL – Justice for Korean players, coaches?

Korean women's doubles players (from left) Kim Min Jung, Ha Jung Eun, Kim Ha Na, Jung Kyung Eun

The Badminton Korea Association (BKA) has decided to add injury to injury for Korea’s women’s doubles players involved in the match-throwing incident that tainted the recent London Olympic Games.   After the Badminton World Federation (BWF) already ejected both of Korea’s women’s doubles pairs from the Olympics for attempting to throw matches, the BKA has also decided to suspend the four players – Kim Min Jung, Ha Jung Eun, Kim Ha Na, and Jung Kyung Eun – for two years from playing both domestic and international matches (see related article here).

Korean national badminton team Head Coach Sung Han Kook (left), women's doubles coach Kim Moon Soo

The BKA has also terminated both Head Coach Sung Han Kook and women’s doubles coach Kim Moon Soo for their role in the incident.  The players and coaches have until August 21st to appeal before the Executive Committee hands down a final decision.

Although the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has reportedly asked the three national OC’s to investigate the roles played by coaches in the affair and Chinese Head Coach Li Yongbo has accepted responsibility on China’s end, the BKA decision is the first reported internal decision on the matter.  Several players and other commentators, including men’s doubles silver medallist Mathias Boe, have expressed their displeasure with the players having borne the burden of punishment, to the exclusion of, among others, the BWF, whose format change for these Olympics they say was the real cause of the fiasco.

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