Who said badminton wasn’t a contact sport?
Two Thailand Olympic players, who were partners on a London doubles team, got into a fight at the Canada Open at the Richmond Olympic Oval, according to Canadian and Thailand reports.
It was a very one-sided affair.
As you can see from the video, one player (Bodin Issara) began chasing another (Maneepong Jongjit) onto an adjacent court.
Issara got Jongjit on the ground and began punching him in the back before they were separated.
Issara (the instigator) needed two stitches, and both teams were immediately disqualified, according to reports.
The altercation was the lead story on the Bangkok Post website early Monday morning with the headline, “Shuttlecock fight.”
Reports say the two players “glared at each other” and “exchanged several heated words” during a mid-match changeover.
Issara and Jongjit split after making the London Olympic quarterfinals because Issara announced his retirement due to injury and to care for his ailing mother, according to the Bangkok Post.
However, a day later (according to website publishing timestamps) a Badminton publication reported Issara didn’t retire at all. Instead, he was unhappy training at Thailand’s national badminton center and had chosen a new partner.
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