Badminton chief: Olympic scandal was 'hiccup'

LONDON — The head of the international badminton federation says the playing-to-lose scandal that led to eight players being disqualified from the London Olympics was only a "hiccup" that should not reflect badly on the sport in the long term.

Four women's doubles pairs were thrown out of the Olympics after trying to lose their last group matches in hopes of gaining an easier path to the final.

Thomas Lund, the head of the Badminton World Federation, said in a statement Wednesday that "our disciplinary committee went in and sent out a strong message that this is not acceptable."

He added that "people will probably remember the little hiccup, but there are so many positives we can take out of this."