Four pairs of female badminton players in the London Olympic Games have been punished for trying to lose the last group game to avoid playing against a stronger pair of opponents in the elimination series.

The players said they are innocent, and the audience felt cheated. Only the rule-makers of the game were offended and have enough reasons to punish the players.

There are many forms of "cheating" in modern competitive sports. The only difference is "cheating play" is not so apparent in some games, such as soccer and basketball.

If the badminton players can get better results by losing one match, they are making a rational choice.

The tournament rule-makers should eliminate such possibility and encourage players to always try to win. If not, they should be punished because they spoil the game before it starts.