Beijing (CNN) -- Eight female badminton players were disqualified from the Olympics this week for apparently trying to throw their matches to secure a favorable draw. It's not the first time sports people have tried to improve their chances of winning, but is deliberately trying to lose a match smart tactics or disguised cheating? Two of the players involved were reigning world champions, Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang, who were considered gold medal contenders for China. China's sports officials quickly accepted the punishment and players apologized publicly, although Yu subsequently suggested she was quitting the sport. Soon after the badminton controversy broke it was the top-trending topic on Weibo, China's most popular micro-blogging site, with over 15 million posts.
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Olympic badminton flap raises questions about seeking favorable draws
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Eight players disqualified for trying to throw their matches in doubles event
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Is deliberately trying to lose a match smart tactics or disguised cheating?
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There are signs Chinese people are questioning the "gold-at-all-costs" mentality
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Many cried foul, saying the athletes' behavior was a disgraceful breach of the @placeholder code and was disrespectful of the spectators who paid money to watch the world's best athletes do their best.
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"I apologize to all our fans because we failed to abide by the @placeholder spirit," she said.
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Partly because of her insubordination, He was dropped from China's three-woman @placeholder team in 1988.
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It's a gold medal in the bag for the @placeholder team.