Former World Champion Ye Zhaoying has made a surprising revelation in opposition to the Chinese Olympic Committee, saying that she was requested to lose the 2000 Sydney Olympics semifinal in opposition to the eventual champion Gong Zhichao for China to have a greater likelihood to bag a gold medal.
Zhaoying reckons that it was a conspiracy in opposition to the Denmark ladies’s singles participant Camilla Martin in China’s pursuit of a gold medal.
“They told me it was important that no one could see that I was losing deliberately,” Zhaoying stated whereas speaking to TV 2 Sport.
“You feel so powerless because it’s just you against the whole system. The Olympic Games are almost a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an athlete, and it feels so desperately tragic when you have to throw it all away. But I’m just one person, and there was nothing I could do against the system.
“If I had received my semi-final after which gone on to lose to Camilla within the last, all of China would have thought of me a traitor. My earlier victories would have been meaningless, had I not received gold. Everything was in regards to the Olympics,” she added.
“The only thought was to ensure the country’s success. The Olympics is the most important tournament for China. Not just for the players, but especially for the coaches and top management of the Chinese Sports Association. They told me that it must not be too obvious that I lost on purpose. I was also not allowed to make Gong Zhichao tired and I was going to lose in two sets. The match was not allowed to go to the third game, because then Zhichao would be too exhausted,” Zhaoying revealed.
In a press launch, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) stated it “can’t comment on specific details related to this historic incident” however that measures have been in place to fight corruption.
“Accusations of this nature are something we consider very seriously,” stated BWF president Thomas Lund within the assertion.
“Match manipulation of any kind is not tolerated in badminton. We are committed to protecting the integrity of the sport by putting in place very robust measures for monitoring and investigating acts of match manipulation.”
Lund stated the federation wanted to stay “vigilant” in its try and hold the game clear, whereas encouraging people to return ahead via the BWF’s ‘whisteblower’ system.
The interview with the Chinese participant was carried out in Malaga, Spain, the place Ye lives in exile along with her husband, former Chinese soccer star Hao Haidong.
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