Response to the Badminton Blog

After I wrote Argue with the Badminton Blog, Victor Ching（the webmaster of the Badminton Blog） replied to me with the following:

Thank you for the link.

1. I think it is unethical. Sure, Lin Dan might have beaten Chen Yu, but why deprive the fans of good badminton? They paid to watch badminton, and the walkover occurred. It’s not a matter or who would have won, but this is not just unethical, but it also decreases the popularity of the sport.

2. I have checked. Most, if not all tournaments, like the Indonesian Open, Malaysian open etc do not use or use minimal amounts of umpires from the same country. They avoid it if it is avoidable, but China, they just put all Chinese linejudges.

3. Taufik asked for the shuttle to change. The umpire disallowed it. Taufik is not my idol. I am not even a fan of Taufik! I am from Malaysia, and I support Lee. Please watch the game before making allegations. Taufik was disallowed to change the shuttle.

And if you want the truth to prevail, what’s wrong with my call of investigation?

As for my choice of vocabulary, i.e.: cheater, I did not accuse China of being a cheater. I put a question mark, China, the cheater? Meaning: is China a cheater? The answer can be yes or no, and I have made no such allegations on China cheating.

Please clear this up with your readers.

Thank You
Victor
October 11, 2007 9:48 PM

Yes, I reply as follows：

1. How did you draw the conclusion walkover occurred? From your experience? Let me make my point more clearly. My questions given to you did not emphasize who would have won in the end.

Do you think Lin Dan can beat Chen Yu each time? No, we can only say possible.

If All England champion is important, is German Open champion important either? Both are important.

Whether did Chen Yu want to be a champion once? He wanted absolutely.

Ok, if things all went as your imagination could Chen Yu win the All England 100 percent as long as he gave up in German Open? No, we can only say possible.

So, Chen Yu had the possibility to beat Lin Dan and he was eager for a title. Why should he give walkover to Lin Dan?

If you or I beat Taufik, we could make an apparent conclusion that Taufik gave a walkover to us. But anything is possible when the most powerful badminton players compete with each other. Sometimes players are in great shape, sometimes in poor form. How could you define walkover?

2 & 3. Both are about linesmen and umpires. As we all have seen, there are a lot of criticism to the umpires. And it never ends. I suggest IBF to set up a committee to supervise them.

You meant that China influenced the judgment of the linesmen and umpires. Let me repeat my sentence here. China has got so many gold medals in kinds of tournaments held beyond China. Could Li Yongbo or China badminton team influence those umpires from any other country in the world? Please remember this.

A fan of Taufik commented on this badminton issue on Victor Ching’s blog as below.

Anonymous said:

Taufik is a great player. I am a big fan of him. But do me a favour not to find excuses when he loses, no matter to whom. Please lose like a man, not to Taufik but to you.
October 11, 2007 1:24 PM

It is nothing wrong with your call of investigation. We are discussing on blog the 3 solid evidences of yours which your call was based on. Everyone has the right to ask for investigation if he or her thought a game was unfair. I have clearly given my attitude on the matter.

OK, you just had doubts about cheating.