The Talking Point: Air Conditioning!

taneepak said:
This thread has now turned into a display of 'silliness'. Perhaps it is what makes it a never-ending LD vs LCW 'fight' that has spilled outside the courts.

I have 2 points that might be of some interest.

One, aside from the merit or otherwise of giving LD a wildcard, would it be the same without it? For sure there will be less 'rubbish talk' with this wildcard!

Two, LCW's cramps were not due to his calf or his hamstrings. If you are a sportsman who play all sorts of games or sports you would know it is his quads that caused the cramps. How? Simple, just look at the way LCW was forced to squat down with bended knees! You always stretch your muscles in the opposite direction of the cramps-stretching the cramped or tightened muscles which caused the pain.
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Precisely, the A/C issue has been blown out of proportion. Interesting that you think it was LCW's quads rather than hamstrings or calves that cramped. I supposed LCW knew best what actually happened to him and what was going through his mind at that time.

For me , what is more telling and meaningful is LCW's post-match interview where
1) he gave praise to Lin Dan as a truly extraordinary player; that, to me, was heartfelt, said by him without a tinge of indignation or feeling hard done-by because of the A/C being switched off; and

2) also commenting,probably to appease the Malaysian fans, that the cramp was partly due to his grueling match with DuPY the previous day and partly to the rising temp on final's day when the A'C was presumably turned off causing his dehydration;

3) what's more,his finally saying he's not blaming anyone but himself for the defeat, and expressing readiness to move on, is a clear indication of his desire to put a closure to the whole episode.

As I've said before, let's respect his wishes. Indeed,it'll be lamentable if LCW fails to avoid the pitfall of finding excuses for his defeat each time instead of learning how to overcome his shortcomings and weaknesses, and keep going till final victory as long as he has the perseverance and motivation for it.
 
Justin L said:
Precisely, the A/C issue has been blown out of proportion. Interesting that you think it was LCW's quads rather than hamstrings or calves that cramped. I supposed LCW knew best what actually happened to him and what was going through his mind at that time.

For me , what is more telling and meaningful is LCW's post-match interview where
1) he gave praise to Lin Dan as a truly extraordinary player; that, to me, was heartfelt, said by him without a tinge of indignation or feeling hard done-by because of the A/C being switched off; and

2) also commenting,probably to appease the Malaysian fans, that the cramp was partly due to his grueling match with DuPY the previous day and partly to the rising temp on final's day when the A'C was presumably turned off causing his dehydration;

3) what's more,his finally saying he's not blaming anyone but himself for the defeat, and expressing readiness to move on, is a clear indication of his desire to put a closure to the whole episode.

As I've said before, let's respect his wishes. Indeed,it'll be lamentable if LCW fails to avoid the pitfall of finding excuses for his defeat each time instead of learning how to overcome his shortcomings and weaknesses, and keep going till final victory as long as he has the perseverance and motivation for it.
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like to share this Lin Dan interview (i think the next day after the match)........i am impressed with LD's maturity and mindset......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Uaq6fGqIjE


credit to the uploader Yuman Tianxia
 
Agree with Justin L and taneepak, it sure looks like his quads that LCW asked to be sprayed, and those are the muscles that would be stretched in the squat positions that he was taking to recover.

And not to mention those are the muscles (including calves) that would be overused in jumps and lunges that is so common in singles.
 
visor said:
Would love to have translation or subtitles to this.
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While I can’t do a full translation, the 3 major points to me are:
1. LD said if it was in 2008 or even 2011/2012, he would not have gone over the net to check on LCW after his cramp! At the time, he would think that this was such a great advantage to him for winning, so why should he go over to check on LCW. However, his attitude has changed after the 2012 OG.
2. He thinks LCW should feel happy (at least he would), when everyone in the stadium was cheering him on to continue after the cramp. It should be considered as a major achievement when that happened in a place other than the player’s own country!
3. If you can’t accept a silver medal in a tournament, then you are probably setting the standard too high and put too much pressure on yourself. So, now he always mentally prepare if he lose.
The 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] point is probably why he has better control than LCW during those final points in a match!
 
pcll99 said:
A third poll -

what do you find is the most ridiculous thing in this year WC:
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None.

A: BWF granted wild card to LD who had been absent for 8 months and repeated history of walkovers.
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The BWF was within its rights/rules to grant a wild card to Lin Dan. Period.

B. Scheduling LD's semi final in the afternoon whilst schedulling LCW's semi final to 11pm the night before
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As pointed out to you repeatedly (which you of course conveniently ignored), Lin Dan drew the short straw in the World Championships in 2011. I certainly didn't see you decry that as ridiculous.

What I did notice is that Lin Dan didn't really make a fuss about it. He just won the match.

C. Turning off the A/C after LCW won G1 and had to switch side.
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Both the organizers AND BWF has now officially rejected your allegation. I know this may be shocking for you, but when you make an allegation, the burden of proof is on you. And at least so far I've not noticed any semblance of one from you.

D. In G3, LCW retired in exhuastion and in pain and he responded "It's ok, I can't blame anyone, will try harder next time."
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Like maybe work on his conditioning... ?

E: LOC and CBA response: "It was turned off, and BWF said we should do it."
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The LOC and CBA said no such thing.

F: BWF said "We have absolutely nothing to do with it."
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BWF said no such thing.

G: LOC and CBA response: "It was NOT turned off, it's all a huge misunderstanding..."
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There was no misunderstanding. There's a conspiracy theory with thus far no evidence.

pcll99 said:
Did you have a game with DuPY at 11:15pm the night before? :D
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I don't know, maybe ask Peter Gade?
 
Just look at the effort both players put in to get points, you can clearly tell that it takes a lot more for LCW to earn his points. This was pointed out even by LCW fanboys like Morten Frost. LCW was flying all over the court to get to his shots while LD was a lot more economical in his movements. You can marvel at LCW's athletic ability but LD is the one with more badminton ability. LCW challenges his opponents for a sprint while LD dose not take the bait and simply plays good badminton.

For a long time after OG'08, watching LD was not very satisfying because he looked as if he was not trying hard at all. But from WC'11 and on, when LD's new game has finally taken shape, we can see and fully appreciate what LD had been working on. He plays the kind of complete badminton that is one league above LCW's game. LCW is one of the best athletes and LD is the best badminton player. At the end of the day, they are competing on playing badminton, not sprinting or jumping. Whether LD can outsprint or outjump LCW is not even relevant because LD's total command over all aspects of the game make them irrelevant. LD gets to his shots calmly while LCW scrambles frantically to exhaustion.

Now, I can't say that LCW and his team are doing the wrong thing. It may be that this is how they see the game of badminton (under the spell of super athlete LD at OG'08) or that they decided that LCW can only compete with LD on athleticism. One way or another, I hope that they realize that LCW is drinking poison to quench a thirst. The chance of a 30-year old to maintain, let alone further develop, his athletic ability is not very good. Yes, LCW is almost on par with the LD of OG'08 on athleticism and may even be ahead of current LD on that aspect. But LD is playing a different game now. LCW is way behind on area such as reading his opponents, tactical awareness, and lo and behold, the basic skill at judging line calls. LCW and his team chose the athletic route and did not develop his badminton ability in the other areas. They rolled the dices and they came up snake-eyes at WC'13. And that's the story.

It is almost sad that LCW and his team don't even acknowledge (realize?) the real problems but keep hiding behind excuses like home court pressure or away court disadvantage. Deep down, do they really believe the air-conditioning situation, be it real or imagined, cost LCW the World Championship?
 
A report from the Sky News (with emphasis added).

http://www.skynews.com.au/sport/article.aspx?id=897095

[h=1]Air-con dramas not cool for badminton[/h]

[h=3]A row involving air conditioning at the badminton world men's singles final has caused a headache the sport could do without.
The southern China showdown between home favourite Lin Dan, the four-time champion, and Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei, the world No.1, had the makings of a classic.

But Lin's win was overshadowed by the apparent failure of the air conditioning mid-match, fuelling conspiracy theories and possibly contributing to Lee's withdrawal on a stretcher with cramp as he faced match point.

"It was so hot inside and Chong Wei was dehydrated," Lee's coach Tey Seu Bock said. "At one point, Chong Wei was struggling to breathe."
An AFP reporter said the air-conditioning at Guangzhou's Tianhe Gymnasium, which had been plaguing players at one end, went off at the start of the second game, when Lin moved to the draft-affected side.
As temperatures rose and spectators fanned themselves furiously, Lin - trailing after the first game - pulled off a series of pinpoint shots in the airless arena.
"Changes in conditions during a match have a huge impact on the outcome," one un-named badminton expert said.
"Throughout the tournament ... the wind was blowing from behind and from the side due to the air-conditioning. It tended to make players' returns more likely to go long or wide when they played at that end."

The air conditioning stayed off for the rest of the match and came back on again after it had finished, the reporter said.

The Badminton World Federation investigated. But on Thursday, it said Chinese officials had insisted the air-conditioning was not turned off, but was simply set too low from early in the day.

"However, due to the increase in the number of spectators attending on finals day - and in particular during the men's singles match - the temperature went up and the venue became hotter."

Despite China's denial, the incident provided more ammunition for the cynics after Lin, whose ranking had dropped to 100 after an extended post-Olympic break, was handed the only wildcard.

Lin then landed in the opposite side of the draw from Lee, meaning he could not meet him before the final. He breezed into the decider without dropping a game, even against China's world No.2 Chen Long.

Badminton is still battling the fallout from the London Olympic scandal, when eight women's doubles players were disqualified for trying to lose group games for easier quarter-finals.

And two Thai players were handed long bans recently for brawling during a men's doubles final in Canada.

Badminton has a history of intrigue. A Badzine survey indicated that in 2011, 20 per cent of all-Chinese matches went uncompleted due to walkovers and retirements. The figure dropped to less than one per cent when Chinese players were facing competitors from other countries.

[/h]
 
Frankly, I think all the fuss just demonstrates how immature the Malaysian side, including its sports minister, were.
It all started only after the battle is lost, not in the heat of it. Why was not the aircon issue brought up before LCW's cramps? No complaints then, it follows that any complaint after the battle is mute and silly and extremely poor sportsmanship.
First it was LCW's loud-mouth coach who complained about the aircon (after the loss, not before!), then the silly sports minister wants BAM to kick up a fuss with the BWF (also after the loss), followed by the rather silly statement from Ng Ching Chai saying that BAM filed a complaint with the BWF about the aircon, based on Gillian Clark's commentary about the aircon being turned off plus subsequent media reports, etc., etc. Complaining after the results are known is bad enough but basing an official complaint on Gillian Clark's commentary and the Malaysian media's hysteria plus that BIG KICK from the sports minister do not a good sportsman make.
 
With the current slump of the Malaysian team, the coaches/BAM may just need to create some controversies to divert attentions!
:(
 
taneepak said:
Frankly, I think all the fuss just demonstrates how immature the Malaysian side, including its sports minister, were.
It all started only after the battle is lost, not in the heat of it. Why was not the aircon issue brought up before LCW's cramps? No complaints then, it follows that any complaint after the battle is mute and silly and extremely poor sportsmanship.
First it was LCW's loud-mouth coach who complained about the aircon (after the loss, not before!), then the silly sports minister wants BAM to kick up a fuss with the BWF (also after the loss), followed by the rather silly statement from Ng Ching Chai saying that BAM filed a complaint with the BWF about the aircon, based on Gillian Clark's commentary about the aircon being turned off plus subsequent media reports, etc., etc. Complaining after the results are known is bad enough but basing an official complaint on Gillian Clark's commentary and the Malaysian media's hysteria plus that BIG KICK from the sports minister do not a good sportsman make.
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They did complain about the heat at the time..

http://sports.sohu.com/20130818/n384440243.shtml

And thankfully, they did turn the air con back on again, albeit after the match.

http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epa...94ddbd87&key=qWD05WlHUwnoTGL5pElP4Q==&feed=rs
 
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With all these negativities, I decided to do a full translation on the Lin Dan interview as it will give non-Chinese speaking members a better understanding on the new Lin Dan.

It is not of professional standard, but it is the best that I can do.
:p

So, here you go:

I: Interviewer
LD: Lin Dan

I: What was your target when entering WC2013?

LD: To play each rally the best I could.

I: Never expecting to get gold?

LD: Not at all. To me, that is unrealistic. You stayed away from competition for nearly a year, coming back for the first time, and you tell the media you are expecting gold? It is just impossible!

I: You didn't have the confidence?

LD: It has nothing to do with confidence; I just didn't set that as a target.

Host commented that LD spent 2 hours analyzing LCW’s play with his coaches before the final

I: You had played LCW for so many times, and should be very familiar with his play. So, why did you still need to do the analysis?

LD: I need to look at my own games, then LCW’s games from 2008 up till the SF with DPY the night before. I have to emphasis that both of us need to accept the fact that we may just get silver. I think we need to have this mentality, while it doesn’t mean I wouldn't go for the gold. When facing this 50/50 opponent, maybe even 60% for him, 40% for me, if you can’t accept error and defeat, then you have set you expectation too high and placed too much pressure on your own.

I: The result of the Final came as a shock to us. We never expected such a sad ending! What were you thinking when LCW started to have the cramp?

LD: If it was 4 years ago, or even earlier, I would never have gone over the net to check on him. I would be thinking, I am having such a big advantage, why should I go over, he can’t even stand up, I just have to try a bit more, and the gold will be mine. However, my feeling is not the same anymore!

LD: I believe LCW and I had gone through a lot, such as the expectation of our nations. From 2008, we faced each other many times. I still think he is my greatest opponent. A great opponent such as LCW could tell you that you have even higher potential. Every improvement he gains would set off your alarm that you must do better to compete. I am really thankful to have LCW’s as an opponent, and that’s why I went over the net to check on him.

I: We watched that you went over the net to talk to LCW, but we didn't know what you two said to each other.

LD: He was having a cramp, and could only squat on the floor, so I thought I should also squat with him. I wanted to ask him how serious it was, because I had experienced the same during training before.

I: How was the feeling?

LD: With the cramp, you just have no control and can only squat down. That’s why I asked LCW whether he was ok, was it very serious, and whether he needed any help.

I: How did he reply?

LD: He didn't say anything, but I could feel that he didn't want to give up. Of course, the cramp was giving him a very hard time.

LD: I felt very happy for LCW when everyone in the stadium was cheering him on to continue, everyone was calling his name. Even though I don't know how he felt, I think he should feel very happy at the moment. It was in a stadium in China, and it was quite an achievement for a player to gain support by so many fans from a different nation. His performance had conquered all the audience.

I: How did you feel (when all the audience was cheering LCW on)?

LD: If it was in the past, I would be thinking how could you guys cheer for my opponent? But not anymore, now I just felt happy for LCW.

I: After the tournament, a lot of media was talking about the about the air-con being turned off, and caused LCW to cramp. How do you feel about that?

LD: I was told by my friends that LCW’s coach was complaining about the air-con. To me, we were playing on court, whether the air-con was turned off, and who turned it off, I didn’t have any idea. I can only say that it was very hot, and created much pressure on our bodies. However, I must say that, no matter what happened, we were playing on even grounds!

I: You have competed with LCW all these years, and some people may think you had much better luck than him

LD: If you just look at records, then yes, maybe I did have better luck relatively. However, I was watching a TV program after OG, in which photos were shown and 2 teams competed to say who was in the photo. When LCW’s photos came up, everyone could tell immediately. The response was even faster than when photos of other Chinese OG gold medalist were shown. To me, it meant LCW has succeeded, even though he has yet to take an OG gold, many people already know of him.

I: Is that your target as well (being well known)?

LD: Of course. When you get older, when your performance can never reach the peak again, when your next target or next gold medal is getting further away from you, I feel that being recognized and supported by others is important.

I: After the Final, audience watched you went up to the commentator platform and kissed your wife! How did you feel at the time?

LD: During the 2012 OG, I just felt the tremendous pressure. The team wanted me to win; the sponsors wanted me to win as all the advertisements had the winning pictures. I can understanding the sponsors were preparing for the advertising campaign after the OG, but it gave me tremendous pressure. I just started thinking of my family, they didn’t ask for anything from me, didn't ask for any reward, they just wanted me to do well, just offered the simple support! So, I know even if I failed to win in OG, that special 4-5 persons on the audience platform would still give me the support, would still give me a hug! They were my family!

I: Winning gold in OG2012, could be considered as a peak of your career. What was your plan after that?

LD: First, I needed to set my next target, and found my own reason/drive for going forward in badminton, not just listened to general comments from others, such as continue till OG2016, it was very good for your career etc. To me, I really needed to find my own reason and the drive.

I: Was there a period after OG2012, in which you lost the sense of direction or lack of targets?

LD: I was looking, not really lack of targets. I didn’t have any injury and I loved the game of badminton. If I continued to play, I needed to consider a lot of things; I might have to face even more difficulties than before. Every opponent I faced would want to beat me, so if I was not prepared and couldn’t perform, it would not be acceptable to me. I was not a piece of white paper any more, and with the records of over 13 years of my career, if I lose to a Vietnamese player, a Japanese player, or a player from an emerging (for badminton) country, the media would have a lot to say, something like you are not the Super Dan any more, your era has past etc. All these I had to consider carefully.

I: So what had you decided?

LD: In the past, I was concerned about how many gold I could get, or whether I could surpass the achievements of great Chinese players of the past. I realized that I was closing on their records, so I hoped I could surpass them! But now, I think I need a different mentality / attitude!

I: Since when have you started thinking about your mentality / attitude?

LD: It would be when I had to get back into the team and started training. I had to think about what condition / state I should get back into the competition with. The training schedule was always there, it didn't change. But I, as a person, did change.

I: We have heard of comments which questioned Lin Dan’s reason for coming back, was it really for the love of badminton, or afraid of losing the sponsorship earnings?

LD: Reporters asked the same question during the WC media briefing. I think it was natural, and I must admit that I didn't want to lose the sponsorship earnings. But I think the more important point is that I didn't come back just for the earnings, or thinking how much more money I could get after getting one more gold. I think there must be something more important than that, there must be!

I: As a World Champion who already got so many golds, what could be more important for you?

LD: I think everyone would like to make a lot of money. But to me, the first point is if it is not supposed to be mine, I wouldn’t think about it! The second point is that if you look back to OG2008, if you do a simple survey now, out of 50 people, I believe none can remember the names of 15 gold medalists. So, what is the value of such champions? Here I am not talking about their sponsorship earnings. I believe their value would be forgotten quickly. To themselves, or to the sports that they represent, these are not true values. To me, if there are a lot of fans wanting to see Lin Dan play, that is my value.

I: A lot of people have been guessing, Super Dan may want to change into Idol Dan! Just look at your dressing today, you are not like the regular athletes anymore.

LD: I think nowadays people also don’t look at athletes as they used to be. I believe when an athlete stand in public, he is not only representing himself, but also the country. So, I think every athlete should present with the best appearance, be their best on court, this is a responsibility to themselves, to the team, and to the country.

I: To be honest, did you ever thing of changing your career after OG? We see that you published a book, appeared in many culture and lifestyle activities. People may think whether Lin Dan wants to get into the entertainment / culture sector.

LD: Never! It is very important to me that many people knew me through badminton. I am doing well in badminton, and I don't want to suddenly change into something that I am not ready for. This is very unwise, so I won't do it. Another point is this lifestyle dressing is something I like very much personally, but no matter how that changes, I won’t get away from badminton, because I love badminton!

I: I feel that your mentality has change a lot. In the past, you could get agitated during a match. When you think there was a misjudgment by the referee or lines judge, or other unexpected situation, you would argue about it.

LD: Sometimes things just can’t be changed, and if that cannot be changed, I think there is no point dawdling on it and affect your own emotion even further. Just adjust your emotions for the better.

I: That is quite a change, and that’s why people think Lin Dan is much more matured.

LD: In the 13 years of my career, I have always been considered as the top. In that position, you would face the greatest challenges and risks! With these experiences, if I continue to play, I need to find the play style that fits me the best.

I: Now you are preparing for the National Games, but what happens after that? OG2016 etc., will Lin Dan continues to play?

LD: After the National Games, I will need to have very serious discussions with the team about how to go forward. We have a lot of issues in front of us. For example, talking about OG2016, the first issue is qualifying points! Now my world ranking is below 200, can’t even participate in the Super Series. So, the team and I need to come up with a complete schedule.

I: Do you have a plan for the future, such as may be follow the team and become a coach?

LD: It is my wish to promote badminton; however, I have not really considered becoming a coach yet!

I: Now people call you Super Dan, some call you Idol Dan. What do you want people to call you in the future?

LD: Actually, I don't really like to be called Super Dan, just call me Lin Dan is ok!
 
Good job, thekong, thank you so much. How I wish I could post your translation in the 'Lin Dan - What's next after WC'13' thread.:)

And I've taken the liberty of mentioning the link there. :):D
 
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thekong,

thank you for the wonderful effort. It certainly helps more people understand Lin Dan.
 
awesome translation. it is a lot of work to do translation and we really appreciate your effort to help out anyone who do not understand Chinese.
 
pcll99 said:
They did complain about the heat at the time..

http://sports.sohu.com/20130818/n384440243.shtml

And thankfully, they did turn the air con back on again, albeit after the match.

http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epa...94ddbd87&key=qWD05WlHUwnoTGL5pElP4Q==&feed=rs
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Your first link is nothing more than more of the same mouthing off to the media by Malaysian officials regarding the same unsubstantiated allegation I've heard so often already.

Your second link is irrelevant because you haven't established the air conditioning was turned off in the first place to be turned back on. You repeating it a million more times isn't gonna make it any more relevant.
 
Justin L said:
Good job, thekong, thank you so much. How I wish I could post your translation in the 'Lin Dan - What's next after WC'13' thread.:)

And I've taken the liberty of mentioning the link there. :):D
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Hi All,
If there is no problem with double posting, I can repost it on the'Lin Dan - What's next after WC'13' thread for convenient sake!:)

 
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