Asia

Irregular winds have caused much frustration to badminton players and coaches at the Asian Games in the South Korean city of Incheon.

Japan's ace Kenichi Tago said the wind halted and then started blowing against him during his match. He was competing in the men's team quarterfinals at Gyeyang Gymnasium on Sunday. Japan lost to South Korea.

He said the wind direction should change when players swap sides, but headwind kept blowing. He also said he had never experienced this situation before.

An Indonesian coach said the team struggled with the wind in the adjacent court, too. The coach indicated the wind direction may have been changed to help the South Korean team.

South Korean player Lee Yong-dae said the wind troubled him during the quarterfinals. He complained there are only a few venues in the world where the wind blows so much.

An official of the organizing committee said air conditioning was turned on and off to save electricity. The venue had a power outage on Saturday. The official said this would be solved by Monday.

Wind direction and speed significantly affect badminton games because the shuttle weighs only about 5 grams.

Nippon Badminton Association director Shigemitsu Imai told NHK he is not planning to file a complaint at the Asian Games organizer.

He said wind often causes problems and players should learn skills to deal with it.

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