Four pairs of players, two from South Korea, one from China and one from Indonesia, could be disciplined.

Organizers launched an investigation after the players in the women’s doubles competition were jeered by spectators as they appeared to intentionally concede points.

Their actions seemed to be an attempt to manipulate the final standings in the group stage of the competition as they had all already qualified.

The suggestion is they wanted an easier draw in the knock out stages or were trying to avoid teams from their own nation.

China's Olympic sports delegation launched an investigation into the alleged “deliberate losing” by its badminton players, saying it opposed any behavior violating “sporting spirit and morality”, as reported by state media.

All teams involved had already qualified for the quarter-finals, though South Korea Head Coach Sung Han-kook pointed the finger at the Chinese team.

The result of the first match means China's world champion duo will only meet the country's number two pair if both teams reach the final.

Han-Kook said, “The Chinese started this. They did it first. It's a complicated thing with the draws. They didn't want to meet each other in the semi-final.”

The South Korean pair did not comment, but China's Yu Yang said she and Wang Xiaoli were saving energy for the knockout stages.