Who says badminton isn't a contact sports? At the Canada Open in Vancouver two a team of Bodin Issara and Maneepong Jongjit began fighting to the point that Issara began chasing Jongjit around the gym.
Issara caught up to his teammate, tossed him to the floor and began raining fists upon Jongjit, who curled up into a near-fetal position, until officials could separate the two. Prior to the match beginning, both players were warned by an official about their conduct for engaging in a verbal bout.
Issara and Jongjit represented Thailand in the 2012 summer Olympics, reaching the quarterfinals, but their bond appears to have been shattered. It is unclear what caused Issara to grow so enraged, but his attack stripped Jongjit of his shirt, and opened up a cut on Jongjit's ear that required two stitches. The team was disqualified immediately for their misconduct. No charges have been filed yet in the attack, and Badminton Canada has not decided whether further punishment will be doled out for their embarrassing scuffle.
Prior to this blowup, Issara and Jongjit were considered one of the best badminton pairings in the entire world. Issara retired abruptly early this year though, to care for his sick mother. At the time of his retirement, Issara and Jongjit were the eighth-ranked tandem in the world.
There was speculation, though, that Issara's retirement was borne of dissatisfaction with training facilities in Thailand. That theory gained traction when shortly after leaving the sport, he returned to competition with a new partner.
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