The Badminton World Federation has reacted to the Olympic match-throwing scandal by changing the doubles rules but not the much-criticised group format.
The change was announced on Friday by BWF secretary-general Thomas Lund “to ensure such a regrettable spectacle is never witnessed in badminton again.”
Four women’s pairs, including the world champions from China, were disqualified in London for trying to deliberately lose their group matches to rig easier paths through the knockout stages.
But at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, the BWF said all teams finishing second in their groups will go through another draw to determine who they face in the knockout stage. The group winners will have fixed positions to begin the playoffs.
Lund said “This will eliminate any player’s thoughts about actively trying to lose a match or matches, irrespective of other match results.”
