By Chen Xiangfeng (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-01-29 08:08

Controversial calls have led to many similar incidents in badminton. As a result, incorporating tennis' Hawk-Eye review system into badminton is gaining popularity among athletes and some umpires.

But compared to tennis, badminton is still far less popular globally in terms of the number of spectators and sponsors, meaning BWF can't afford such a hi-tech system, which is estimated to cost about $400,000 to employ.

A BWF six-star tournament - the highest-level badminton series - can only offer grand prize money of $250,000.

Women struggling

Lin's shameful outburst wasn't China's only misfortune of the day.

A few minutes before Lin's loss, women's singles hopeful Lu Lan became the victim of former national team ace Zhou Mi, now playing under Hong Kong's banner and recently contracted by Kuala Lumpur Racquet Club.

The resurgent Zhou also defeated reigning Olympic champion Zhang Ning in the quarters and has emerged as another one of China's main opponents at the Beijing Olympics.

China also suffered a loss in mixed doubles and had only two consolations from women's doubles and men's doubles.

The Korea Open was the second in a string of embarrassments for China after last week's Malaysia Open, where China also only managed to clinch two titles in women's doubles and mixed doubles.

These successive blows sound strong warnings to China's prospective for the Beijing Olympics, especially to the women's tradition of dominance in singles play.

Four years ago in Athens, Zhang was crowned in the women's singles and Lin failed to make it after a final loss to Indonesian bitter rival Hidayat Taufik.

Aging and injury-plagued, Zhang has been slumping ever since, now going nine months without a trophy and in danger of being replaced by a younger shuttler right before the Beijing Games.

Meanwhile, world No 1 Xie Xingfang, also Lin's girlfriend, and other rising teenagers like Lu and last year's world champion Zhu Lin, are frequently criticized for their inconsistent performances in big tournaments. No one is confident they will be able to beat Danish woman Tine Rasmussen or Wong Mew Choo from Malaysia if they meet in the final in Beijing.

Rasmussen won last week's Malaysia Open at the cost of Zhu in the final and Lu in the quarterfinal.

At the Japan Open last September, Rasmussen demonstrated Europe's growing competitiveness with wins over Chinese national champion Jiang Yanjiao, Zhang, Lu and then Xie in the final.

Wong upset Xie in the final of last November's China Open, where the host settled for only two out of the five titles, China's worst showing in 14 years at the tournament.

 

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