Taiwan taekwondo fighter disqualified over 'sensor' socks
Taiwan taekwondo fighter Yang Shu-Chun was disqualified from the Asian Games after being accused of wearing extra sensors inside her socks to score more points.
The 2008 Olympic silver medallist was on Wednesday found by a contest official to have an extra sensor taped to each of her heels, although each fighter was allowed to wear authorised socks with built-in sensors, before her 49kg quarter-final match against Vietnam's Vu Thi Hau.
"She was known to be a very, very good player. We're very shocked," World Taekwondo Federation secretary general Yang Jin-Suk said about the incident which he said was unprecedented in any international competition.
Yang Jin-Suk said such additional sensors could help the wearer to score points more easily under a new electronic scoring system.
Yang Shu-Chun and her coach were also reprimanded for occupying the contest area to protest the disqualification.
"When somebody tries to take advantage by manipulating equipment to gain more points, it is unfair," said the WTF chief before adding the organisation has "clear rules" against such manipulation and behavior.
The 25-year-old Yang had been expected to meet Olympic champion Wu Jingyu of China, who beat her in the semi-final in Beijing, and also in the final of the last Asian Games in Doha.
Sensors are part of the new electronic scoring system which was introduced after the 2008 Beijing Games where a storm of complaints over refereeing threatened the Korean-born fighting sport's future in the Olympics.
The 2009 world championships became the first major tournament where competitors were required to wear electronic sensors in their body armour and socks so that effective kicks could be detected more objectively.
But the new system has forced fighters to learn how to adjust their body movements and ensure the foot sensors hit the body sensors to score.
(c) 2010 AFP
