Sportsmanship more important than gold medal

The women doubles badminton match on July 31 between China's Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli and South Korea's Jung Kyung-eun and Kim Ha-na is totally against the Olympic spirit of fair competition, a commentary from Xinhua News Agency said.

To avoid meeting their teammates in elimination matches, two pairs of players that had already qualified for the last eight both tried to lose the match by making simple errors, and they were booed by the crowd at Wembley Arena.

The new rule gives players opportunities to choose their opponents in the elimination match. It may be somewhat understandable that players adopt an optional strategy to make better achievements, especially in significant sporting events like the Olympic Games. But the players should not take advantage of the rule against the Olympic spirit of fair competition.

Even if they win the champion in this way, the audience won't applaud them. In any sporting event, sportsmanship is more valuable than the gold medal.