KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) — Badminton World Federation (BWF) leaders rejected president Dr Kang Young-joong's slam on Sunday.
At the council meeting held on Saturday, a no-confidence motion was issued against Dr Kang, who was elected president of then International Badminton Federation in 2005 for a four-year term. The council voted 14-5 in favor of the motion.
Dr Kang launched an attack on BWF and executive deputy president Datuk Punch Gunalan in a later press conference, saying that BWF has been inundated with various serious allegations and has now spiraled downwards basically through what could be termed as dictatorship by democracy and Gunalan is usurping his power.
Gunalan denied usurping Dr Kang's power and said that BWF will have a new Chief Operating Officer (COO) by December.
Former COO P. Ganga Rao was sacked last month.
On the no-confidence vote, BWF Asia chairman VK Verma said: "It does not mean that the BWF has fallen apart. He (Dr Kang) has to respect others. The council consists of 24 members and they run the international body with their individual wisdom."
On Saturday, Kang said that the crisis in BWF could even jeopardize badminton's status as an Olympic sport after 2012.
But Gunalan rejected it, saying "Now the Olympics has around 25core sports and badminton is placed in the middle. Its status is secured."
