In the light of Lin Dan's recent outburst over the unfair line calls in the recently concluded Korean Open, how much is too far when protesting linecalls?
Famous badass Tennis player John McEnroe was famous for throwing his tennis racquets and shouting at umpires while protesting unfair linecalls. His famous catchphrase: 'You cannot be serious' has frequently landed him in trouble with the tennis authorities. In the case of badminton on the other hand, we have the famous incident where Taufik Hidayat walked out of the stadium after several unfair linecalls during the finals of the Hong Kong Open 2006. Although one cannot blame these players for protesting, how far is considered too far? Should badminton players be allowed to express their dissatisfaction freely, till the extent of picking fights on the court?
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has summoned Li Mao and Lin Dan to Kuala Lumpur for a hearing/inquiry regarding the incident that occurred yesterday. While no one is going to doubt the nature of the hearing, the BWF are fully aware that they are setting a precedent as to how much protesting will be considered too far. In Taufik Hidayat's case, he was fined the match winnings and left relatively unscathed. Will Lin Dan be punished even more, or will BWF say it is OK for players to protest on court?
Another certain item on the BWF's agenda will be Korean Coach Li Mao's involvement. It could be said that Li Mao antagonised Lin Dan and caused him to lose control. Was Li Mao's action of provoking Lin Dan justified? Should coaches be allowed to sit close to the players, and be part of the game proceedings by shouting not at their own charges, but their opponents? Whatever ruling and decision the BWF make, I am sure it will set the tone for this touchy topic.
The badminton community holds its breath while awaiting the results of this hearing/inquiry. What do you think? Feel free to comment.
1 comment:
I've gotta say that although it was unsportsmanlike for LinDan to do that, he's still human with emotions.
IMO, LiMao provoked LinDan for sure and LinDan reacted the only way he knew how at the time, with his emotions.
It also raises the question: if athletes are allowed to express their happiness on court, why not the negativity? C'mon, society can't honestly expect everyone to be happy when they lose. But there have gotta be restraints on these things. However, we don't know what Lin was thinking there although we did see that he looked as if he was in some sort of "combatitive" state.
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