In a shocking turn of events, former badminton women's singles World Champion Ye Zhaoying has disclosed that she was ordered to lose the semifinal of 2000 Sydney Olympics semi-finals, which resulted in Gong Zhichao reaching the finals and ultimately becoming a champion.
The 48-year-old added it was a conspiracy by the Chinese management against Camilla Martin, the silver medallist from the same event. Zhaoying felt helpless and could not do much against the whole system, which was hell-bent on its objectives.
She further revealed that the management asked her to not look it too obvious of letting the game slip from her game easily, and instead work hard to tire out the opponent.
"They told me it was important that no one could see that I was losing deliberately," Zhaoying was quoted as saying by 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.
“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, Zhaoying further said.
“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.
Zhichao, who won the semi-finals against Zhaoying, faced Martin in the finals. On the other hand, Zhaoying had to settle for a bronze medal after winning against her fellow Chinese shuttler Yai Dun.
Earlier in her career, Zhaoying secured the title of World Champion in the 1993, 1995 and 1997 editions of the IBF World Championship.
