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Sports / Other Sports
Shocks on and off court at badminton worlds
(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-08-20 12:00
KUALA LUMPUR - Shocks on court and a big rift at the top of the sport's
governing body marked the world badminton championships which ended on
Sunday with three golds for China and two for Indonesia.
Deputy President of Badminton World Federation (BWF) Punch Gunalan
listens during a news conference in Kuala Lumpur August 19, 2007. BWF
President Dr Kang Young Joong accused Gunalan of trying to usurp his
position and said there had been serious talk the crisis could even lead
to badminton being excluded from the Olympics after 2012.[Reuters]?
Lin Dan's retention of the men's singles crown he won in Madrid a year
ago proved a stable point on the compass and there were also victories
for China with Zhu Lin in the women's singles and Yang Wei and Zhang
Jiewen in the women's doubles.
Indonesia hit back with golds in men's doubles for Markis Kido and Hendra
Settiawan and in the mixed for Nova Widianto and Lilyana Natsir.
But behind the scenes Badminton World Federation (BWF) chiefs were
engaged in a damage-limitation exercise after a 14-5 vote of no
confidence in the ruling body's South Korean president Kang Young-joong
at a council meeting on Saturday.
Kang later asserted that deputy president Punch Gunalan of Malaysia had
usurped the president's position and that of the chief operating officer
who was dismissed last month.
Such a serious rift in the sport's governing body could even jeopardise
its Olympic status after 2012.
Kang's claims were rejected 24 hours later with BWF Asia chairman VK
Verma insisting too much had been made of the no confidence vote and the
problem lay with the Korean's style of decision making. "He has to
respect the majority," said Verma.
Meanwhile, Kang will remain president until he indicates his absence will
be permanent. If he chooses to return, an EGM would be necessary to
remove him.
Back on court, Lin was achieving what no men's singles player has done
before -- retaining a world title -- with an impressive 21-11, 22-20
success over Indonesian Sony Dwi Kuncoro.
Lin is already eyeing qualification points for next year's Olympics in
Beijing where he will seek to erase the memory of a his shock first-round
exit in Athens in 2004.
Big names to fall by the wayside in Kuala Lumpur included Olympic
champion Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia, China's top two women singles
players Zhang Ning and Xie Xingfang and Malaysia's men's singles hope Lee
Chong Wei.
Lee's departure underlined another blank championships for the hosts who
have never won a world title in the tournament which dates back to 1977.
There was disappointment too for England who came away from Madrid a year
ago with a gold and two silvers. None of their squad got past the
quarter-finals.
China's golden haul was one less than a year ago and for once veteran
doubles player Gao Ling had to settle for silver in the both the women's
and mixed events.
Indonesia's two golds and the silver from Sony may help compensate for
the early exit of Taufik.
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