The argument over a venue for the 2012 badminton tournament continues to flutter back and forth like a thorny yet somehow aerodynamic shuttlecock.
You may recall snatches of the back story. The IOC complained about dithering after organisers nixed a £40 million temporary venue on Greenwich Peninsula in favour of hosting the sport at Excel. The next next development came when mixed doubles Boris Johnson and Tessa Jowell rallied together to take the sport to Wembley Arena. Despite grumbles about the commute from Badminton England, it appeared that the decision was final after approval by the IOC. But now the Badminton World Federation, the sport's governing body, has expressed its disapproval. Here's what their President had to say:
The Olympic Games is the pinnacle of sporting achievement and the BWF owes our athletes and its members the responsibility to showcase badminton to the media and the world in the best possible way.
The BWF will now 'vigorously engage' with the IOC about getting the venue changed. Looks like promises that this would all be sorted out by the end of the year are going to be stretched like a wrong-footed backcourt player on the end of a smash. Image by Beckywithasmile under creative commons license.
