BWF bans Chinese players for match-fixing, China Badminton Association ‘fully supports’ decision

The Badminton World Federation confirmed on Friday that it had banned two Chinese players for two years over match-fixing with the Chinese Badminton Association announcing that it “fully supports” the decision. Regional level players Zhu Junhao and Zhang Bingrong have been suspended from all badminton-related activity until August 12, 2023 over bets placed on a mixed doubles match in France in 2019, with Zhang also betting on other matches. “Both were found to have breached the 2017 BWF Code of Conduct in Relation to Betting, Wagering and Irregular Match Results during tournaments in March 2019,” the BWF said in a statement. Suspect betting activity was flagged to the BWF by sports betting monitors ESSA relating to bets placed on the match between Zhu and partner Hua Xiaobei against Daniel Hess and Stine Kuspert at the Orleans Masters. I'm a proud ambassador of the BWF integrity campaign #iambadminton! It is important for our junior athletes to know the rules right throughout their career. One way to stay up to date is via the Educational Resources provided by the BWF. Check out: ⬇️https://t.co/wPV1mlTTZ3 pic.twitter.com/BNae7AYFs8 — Pvsindhu (@Pvsindhu1) February 23, 2021 The Chinese pair lost the first game 21-19 before winning the next two games to win the match. An investigation was opened by the BWF and it was concluded this July, finding Zhu and Zhang to have illegally bet on matches, including the suspect win in Orleans. IOC, anti-corruption bodies aim to keep match-fixing out of Olympics Zhu was also found to have given inside information on the match to another Chinese gambler, Ming Liu. Both Zhu and Zhang opened accounts to bet on the Orleans match from Wuhan despite gambling being illegal in China, a fact noted in the BWF report. When Zhu was interviewed for a second time by the BWF in December, 2019 it was noted that the figure staked drew suspicion. “The betting company was so suspicious of these bets that they blocked the bets and didn’t allow them,” the report stated him being told. Zhu said that his mother had set up the offending betting account in his name and in an unusual turn of events Zhu had claimed that his mother had used the betting account from an IP address in Lingshui, Hainan province, on March 16, a day after it was accessed in Wuhan. Criminals, not betting, to blame for match-fixing, integrity chief says He was playing at the China Masters tournament in Lingshui on March 16 but after denying he had seen his mother on that date he “was later forced into the bizarre position of suggesting his mother had come to Lingshui and not seen him,” the BWF report noted. Hainan is some 1,200km from Wuhan and it is a three-hour or so flight from Hubei province to the island province. Meanwhile, Zhang was found to have made 36 bets between March 13-19, 2019, on the China Masters at Lingshui, the Swiss Open and the Orleans Masters. “The Chinese Badminton Association fully supports the decision of the World Badminton Federation and immediately imposes corresponding punishment on the two based on the results of the investigation,” the CBA said in a statement published on their website on Friday. Covid-19 allowing match-fixers to ‘target vulnerable leagues’ Both players have also had their eligibility revoked for the recently concluded 14th China National Games and have been banned from all CBA activities for the next two years. The CBA also “require their units to impose penalties on them in accordance with relevant regulations,” meaning the pair can expect further sanctions from their teams. Their statement concluded with a commitment to ridding the sport of match-fixing. “In order to create an open, fair and just game environment and maintain the healthy development of badminton sports, the China Badminton Association will further strengthen the management and supervision of the style and discipline of the game, strengthen the education and management of athletes, and resolutely put an end to match-fixing, gambling and game manipulation,” it said. Police open match-fixing probe into suspicious game at French Open Neither of the players appealed their suspensions with the BWF, the world governing body noted. “As per the Judicial Procedures, the athletes had the right to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within 21 days of the notice of the reasoned decision. The players chose not to appeal,” the BWF statement said. Zhu will be 25 when his ban finishes, while Zhang will be 22 years old.