The Olympic demands

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Opinion

Thu, November 30, 2023 | 10:53

Letter to the Editor

The Olympic demands

Posted : 2012-08-26 16:45

Updated : 2012-08-26 16:45

Dear editor,

The Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) decision to disqualify four pairs contesting in this year’s Olympic Badminton Women’s Doubles in London exposes a disquieting disparity in the way in which athletes and their audiences, respectively, have come to view modern-day sport.

By “throwing” games, the eight female badminton players were allegedly aiming for an easier draw in the next round. Accused of “not using one’s best efforts to win a match,” and thus “conducting oneself in a manner that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the sport” ― sections 4.5 and 4.16 respectively of BWF Players’ Code of Conduct ― the players were publicly denounced, and consequently disqualified.

The BWF was widely praised for its consistent zero-tolerance for “unsportsmanlike” behavior. Less consistent, of course, was the BWF’s decision to turn a blind eye to other, similarly dubious badminton games during the tournament, including a Japanese pair’s loss to a Taiwanese team ― a game which prompted Indian Olympic players to file a complaint (albeit in vain).

Some people attempted to defend the disqualified players by blaming the newly-introduced tournament system, one that creates situations in which it may be advantageous to throw a game. Others pointed out that soccer and baseball teams sometimes field weaker teams for less important games, or even, in extreme cases, throw a game if it is deemed strategically advantageous. These are all valid points that should be remembered before we begin stigmatizing these players.

But the BWF’s puritan and perhaps even hypocritical notion of modern elite badminton is also an expression of a much more wide-ranging tendency in modern society, namely a bifurcating notion of what top sports is supposed to involve. Spectators, craving for more and more action and entertainment, have increasingly come to resemble ancient Roman citizens screaming for blood in the gladiator arena, whereas athletes have become akin to desperate survivors, willing to do anything it takes to stay in the game.

Every Olympic Game witnesses athletes setting new records, standards, and levels. But we tend to forget that every Olympic Game also witnesses a fresh generation of spectators setting new standards and levels of demands. Athletes make unimaginable sacrifices to discipline their body into perfection so they might live up to these continuously rising expectations.

All this has led to a situation in which contemporary Olympic spectators fail to recognize that the athletes’ ethos of winning at all costs ― which may include such morally dubious acts like throwing a game, or, infinitely worse, not entertain enough ― is a result of their own, unacknowledged desire for perpetually wilder and more extravagant performances. After all, isn’t that precisely what makes the Olympics so fascinating and so entertaining?

Boon Young Han
Seoul National University