Korean players’ suspension eased, coaches out for 4 years

The Badminton Korea Association (BKA) has handed down a final decision on the fate of the four players disqualified from the women’s doubles competition at the London Olympics.  The BKA’s Executive Council ruled today on the fate of players Kim Min Jung, Ha Jung Eun, Kim Ha Na, and Jung Kyung Eun and on that of Head Coach Sung Han Kook and women’s doubles coach Kim Moon Soo.

The four players, who had been threatened with a two-year suspension, have had their punishment commuted to a one-year suspension from the National Team and six-month bans from any domestic or international competition.

Meanwhile, coaches Sung and Kim have been hit with a 4-year suspension from coaching the National Team, a significant change from the lifetime ban on coaching even domestic professional teams that was originally levied by the BKA’s Disciplinary Committee (see here).