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BWF probes China-South Korea game

An official (2nd L) speaks to players from China and South Korea during their women's doubles group play stage Group A badminton match during the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Wembley Arena July 31, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

Tournament officials of the BWF (Badminton World Federation) are investigating a women's badminton doubles match between China and South Korea at the London Games on Tuesday after both teams appeared determined to lose.

Chinese top seeds Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang and the South Korean players Jung Kyung-eun and Kim Ha-na were booed off the court after the players regularly served into the net or hit wide.

Both teams, who have already qualified for the quarter-finals, delivered an abject performance that saw all four players miss routine shots throughout. The longest rally of the first game was four shots.

Paisan Rangsikitpho, a member of the Badminton World Federation's technical committee, said the governing body was aware of the game.

IOC justifies controversial flag placement

[Photo/Sina weibo]

The International Olympic Committee said it followed protocol when it placed South Korea's flag above China's at a victory ceremony for an event in which the countries tied.

China's Sun Yang and South Korea's Park Tae-hwan tied for second place at 1:44.93 in the men's 200m freestyle at the London Olympics on Monday. At the ceremony, South Korea's flag was raised above China's, infuriating many Chinese fans.

The IOC said flags should be placed side by side if two countries tie in an event. But if there is not enough room to do so, the flags can be positioned with one over the other, with the first letters of the athletes' surnames determining which flag goes above the other.

Because the surname of Park begins with "P" and Sun begins with "S", and because "P" precedes "S" in the alphabet, placing China's flag under South Korea's was appropriate, the IOC said.

Kayaker penalized by mom judge

New Zealand's Mike Dawson competes in the men's kayak (K1) heat at Lee Valley White Water Centre at the London 2012 Olympic Games July 29, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

New Zealand kayaker Mike Dawson made the semifinals of the kayak slalom at the Olympics despite being given a two-second penalty by his mother Kay- a judge at the games.

Dawson touched the fifth gate when going down the 18-gate Olympic course on Sunday, and his mother didn't hesitate to penalize her son. He still made it through to the semifinals at the Lee Valley White Water Centre in northeast London and was able to laugh off his mum's intervention.

According to Associated Press, Dawson joked that he was tempted to get his coach to put in a protest. That would have made dinner time at the Dawsons even more awkward. His coach is his father, Les.

Dawson says his mother's penalty "definitely dispels any hint of bias and I wouldn't have it any other way." He'll be trying his best to keep his mother "unoccupied" in his semifinal run Wednesday.