Match-throwing bans reduced for South Korea's Olympic badminton players

Four badminton players kicked out of the Olympics for throwing matches have had their two-year bans cut.

An official speaks to players from China and South Korea during their controversial women's doubles match at London 2012

SEOUL // South Korea's Olympic badminton coach Sung Han-kook has had a lifetime suspension cut to two years, while four players sent home from the London 2012 Olympics for throwing matches also had their bans reduced.

The four women's doubles players booted out of the Games for their part in the scandal had two-year bans cut to six months after an appeal to Korean badminton's ruling body.

Jung Kyung-eun, Kim Ha-na, Ha Jung-eun and Kim Min-jung remain ineligible for national and international competition for six months. They will also not be allowed to represent South Korea for a year, according to Yonhap news agency.

Assistant coach Kim Moon-soo also had a lifetime ban cut to two years on Wednesday.

The four players, along with four women's doubles players from China and Indonesia, were kicked out of the London Olympics earlier this month for deliberately trying to lose matches.

Amid farcical scenes, the players served into the net and missed easy shots in an attempt to lose their matches and gain favourable draws in the knockout stages.

Sung, who blamed the Chinese pair for starting the affair, had accepted his penalty and asked for leniency for the players while his assistant Kim had appealed, Korea's badminton association said.

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