Time runs out for doubles pair
The Olympic hopes of men's doubles pair Albertus Njoto and Liu Kwok-wa have faded once and for all after the deadline passed for Hong Kong's Sports Federation and Olympic Committee (SFOC) to confirm the pair's eligibility for the Games.
The SFOC had been hoping that the marriage of Indonesian Njoto, 27, to a Hong Kong girl last month would be enough to allow him and his partner Liu Kwok-wa, 26, who were ranked 19th in the world at the end of badminton's qualifying period in May, to take their place.
Njoto, who was born in Mojokerto, had originally been ruled out when the IOC decreed that neither he, nor fellow Indonesian singles exponent Agus Hariyanto, satisfied their criteria.
Although originally brought to Hong Kong as a training partner for the national team squad, Njoto has been representing the SAR since 1998. He was part of the 2003 Sudirman Cup team that earned promotion to the elite group of the mixed team world championship for the first time, and has played in two Thomas Cups for Hong Kong.
As the SFOC failed to meet Friday night's deadline, the invitation to Liu and Njoto for the men's doubles lapsed. The International Badminton Federation, which is limited to 172 entrants, has re-allocated the berth to Russian mixed doubles pair Nikolai Zuev and Marina Yakusheva.
