- Title: UK: OLYMPICS: Badminton scandal making waves.
- Date: 1st August 2012
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHRIS ALLAN FROM STAFFORDSHIRE IN ENGLAND SAYS: "We're going to the basketball, the women's basketball, it's this afternoon like, and hopefully see the GB team" VISITORS (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOM WHELLAN FROM LONDON SAYS: "I think this might be the day. There are some strong contenders there - we've got the women's double, Bradley Wiggins on the track, yeah I think we might do well." VISITORS IN THE PARK
- Embargoed: 16th August 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: United Kingdom
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVAB8ILVTIJO7HLALW3EJLAA33JO
- Story Text: Early visitors to Olympic Park object to unsporting behaviour on the badminton courts as GB fans wait for the host nation's first gold medal.
Spectators marched into the Olympic Park on Wednesday (August 1) with most of them heading to the early hockey match between Spain and Australia.
Many had heard about events the previous evening on the badminton court when women badminton players "threw" matches to manipulate the draw, prompting jeers from the crowd and angering fans for undermining the spirit of the Games.
Spectators at the Wembley Arena shouted abuse and jeered at the players as badminton matches descended into farce, with the teams deliberately spraying shots and duffing serves into the net to concede points.
"That's not sportive. We're here for the sports, to watch the game and we want to see something going on and not hitting all the things in the net, right?" said Sophie and Jochem, visiting the Games from the Netherlands.
"It's against the Olympic spirit, it's against the whole ethos of why we are here," said David from Taunton in England.
Others were eager to see the home team do well in cycling and rowing events on Wednesday as GB has yet to win a gold medal.
Chris Allan was there to see the GB women's basketball team while Tom Whellan from London was predicting the women's double rowing team or Bradley Wiggins, the Tour de France winner, would deliver a British gold medal. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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