Beijing, meanwhile, has ordered its badminton team to apologize for the fiasco.

“This is my last competition. Goodbye Badminton World Federation, goodbye my beloved badminton,” the 26-year-old wrote on the country's Weibo microblogging service. “You have heartlessly shattered our dreams.”

Interviewed before the latest announcement Yu and Wang Xiaoli, who were among China's star players, winning the world championship in women's pairs badminton last year, both apologized to fans and pledged to play their best in future matches.

The scandal has been one of the most talked-about subjects on China's Twitter-like microblogs this week, with many fans calling it a “humiliation” for the national team.

Yang and Xiaoli were the top-seeded pair.

The eight players were turned out of the Olympics by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) for throwing matches in a bid to secure more favorable draws later in the tournament.

The sight of four pairs deliberately easing off disgusted a crowd of 4,800 packed into Wembley Arena expecting to see the best of badminton's best.