BIRMINGHAM: South Korea were struck a hard blow when the Badminton World Federation (BWF) slapped Lee Yong-dae and Kim Ki-jung with a one-year suspension for failing to file their whereabouts which led to missed dope tests.
With the Asian Games to be held in Incheon, South Korea, in September, it was definitely a big blow.
Especially with Yong-dae being a favourite to deliver a gold medal.
Continue reading Dong-keun stepping up to the challenge (pic)
KUALA LUMPUR: The one-year suspension imposed on two of South Korea’s top men’s doubles shuttlers – Lee Yong-dae and Kim Ki-jung – should be good news to all their rivals.
But not to Malaysian doubles shuttler Tan Wee Kiong.
Instead, he feels that Yong-dae and Ki-jung’s absence will be sorely missed on the international circuit and he hopes that an appeal by the Korean players will prompt the Badminton World Federation (BWF) to reverse the decision.
Continue reading Wee Kiong finds no joy in Korean players’ suspension (pic)
Former Olympic badminton champion Lee Yong-dae has been suspended for one year for violating international anti-doping procedures, officials said Tuesday, putting his availability for this year's Asian Games at home in jeopardy.
The Badminton World Federation announced on its website that Lee and another South Korean player, Kim Ki-jung, have been suspended for a year for "violating the requirements relating to filing whereabouts information and resulting missed tests under the BWF Anti-Doping Regulations."
The suspension took effect on Jan. 23, 2014, the Kuala Lumpur-based BWF noted.
"As part of BWF's registered testing pool of international level badminton athletes, Kim and Lee were required to provide whereabouts information for the BWF to conduct out-of-competition testing," the international governing body said. "In 2013, both athletes accumulated three whereabouts failures in connection with this administrative process."
BUKIT JALIL: As a young boy, Lee Yong-dae of South Korea picked up badminton in a bid to lose weight.
Not only did he go on to shed some kilos, but the 25-year-old also grew to become one of the heavyweights in the doubles event.
In fact, he is one of the most admired players in the Maybank Malaysian Open at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
And the Olympic Games gold medallist says he owes it all to his mother.
“I was quite chubby when I was eight years old and my mother signed me up with a badminton club so that I could lose weight,” he said with a smile.
“Within a year, I lost some pounds … I can’t remember how many kilos but I decided to stop as my mission was accomplished.
Continue reading Yong-dae the accidental badminton hero (pic)
