FORMAL PROTEST

"The decision of the Asian Karate Federation to disqualify the athlete after completing two matches is totally unacceptable," Al Musallam said. "In the Asian Games, we don't have age limits."

Seething Malaysian hockey officials accused Japan, Hong Kong and Pakistan of fixing results of matches after their team was eliminated, while South Korea's handball squad raged at refereeing.

The Malaysians said they would lodge an official protest against the three teams whom they claim fixed the outcome of the men's group A matches.

Five-times champions South Korea branded the Asian Games handball competition an "embarrassment" to the sport after their controversial loss to Qatar in the semi-finals on Monday.

The Koreans were forced to play shorthanded for most of the night after the game's two Kuwaiti referees hit them with a string of penalties.

Korea had already lodged a formal protest concerning "biased refereeing" in their loss to Kuwait on Saturday, state news agency Yonhap reported. The two referees from that match were from Qatar.

"I have been playing this game for 20 years and have never seen anything like it," said Yoon Kyung-shin, who was world player of the year in 2001. "It makes an embarrassment of handball. It was like child's play at times."

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