The Olympic badminton tournament was thrown into chaos on Wednesday when eight women players were charged with trying to "throw" matches to secure an easier draw in the next round
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Four pairs in the women's doubles competition — u00a0one from China, one from Indonesia and two from South Korea - were booed off court by irate spectators at London's Wembley Arena on Tuesday.
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The players in two matches had appeared to deliberately serve into the net to concede points, hit the shuttlecock out of play, or waste time.
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They could be disciplined after the Badminton World Federation (BWF) charged them with "not using one's best efforts to win a match" and "conducting oneself in a manner that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the sport".
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A hearing is due to take place Wednesday, although all four pairs are currently still included in the order of play for their quarter-finals scheduled in the evening.
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Referee u00a0at London Olympics u00a0urges Indonesian and South Korean doubles pairs to play fairly . Photo: AFP
The players were allegedly attempting to manipulate the final standings in the first-round group stage, with two pairs who had already qualified apparently wanting to lose to secure easier opponents in the next round.
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A match between China's world champions Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli and unseeded South Korean pair Jung Kyung and Kim Ha Na came under scrutiny after the Chinese lost a contest they would normally be expected to win.
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With their defeat, Yu and Wang avoided playing another fellow Chinese pair who had finished second in another group, in the quarter-finals.
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Yu said after the match: "We've already qualified, so why would we waste energy? It's not necessary to go out hard again when the knockout rounds are tomorrow."
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China's Olympic delegation - already fighting off accusations of doping against teenage swimming sensation Ye Shiwen - has launched an investigation into the badminton allegations, state media said.
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"The Chinese Olympic Committee... opposes any kind of behaviour to violate the sporting spirit and morality," a Chinese Olympic spokesman told Xinhua news agency.
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A later match in which South Korean third seeds Ha Jung-Eun and Kim Min-Jung beat Indonesian pair Meiliana Jauhari and Greysia Polii is also being investigated by the governing body.
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The scandal came after Michael Phelps swam into history on Tuesday, becoming the most decorated Olympian of all time after winning the 19th medal of his career.
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Phelps anchored the US team to a resounding victory in the 4x200m freestyle relay to collec his first gold of the London Games and overtake the 18 medals amassed by Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina.
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A silver medal for Phelps behind Chad le Clos of South Africa in the 200m butterfly - an event that the American had dominated for more than a decade - had tied the record earlier in the evening.
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Phelps, 27, paid tribute to his relay teammates for helping him into the record books.
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"I thanked those guys for helping me get to this moment," he said. "I told those guys I wanted a big lead in the last leg and they gave it to me.
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"I just wanted to hold on."
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One of the men waiting to take over the mantle from Phelps as a multiple medal winner in the pool, 21-year-old Australia's James Magnussen, goes in search of a first Olympic swimming gold on Wednesday in the 100m freestyle.
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Ye meanwhile is set to face fresh questions about her rapid rise after the 16-year-old Chinese girl won the 200m medley on Tuesday to collect her second gold of the Games.
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Away from the pool, Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins bids on Wednesday to become Britain's most successful Olympian when he goes in the individual time trial.
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Wiggins starts as favourite for the 44km race around London's Hampton Court Palace after winning both long time trials on the Tour.
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A medal of any colour would see Wiggins overtake the six won by rower Steve Redgrave.
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While the US and China battle for supremacy at the top of the medals' table, the host nation is still waiting for its first gold medal.
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Britain is hoping that rowers Helen Glover and Heather Stanning deliver it in early action in the women's pairs event.
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