Chinese Internet users voiced mixed feelings yesterday after a Chinese women's pair were disqualified following accusations that they deliberately lost an Olympic match for a favorable draw in the knockout stage.

Top seeds and world champions Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang were among eight players disqualified by the Badminton World Federation over charges of throwing matches to secure an easier draw in next round.

All the players had been warned about the way they were playing.

"Chinese badminton players should play to their best in whatever situation," commented an Internet user named "Fairplay" on Sina Weibo.

Another Weibo post criticized the pair for "bringing the Chinese traditionally strong game into disgrace."

A Weibo user named "GoGoGo" posted: "If you can win a medal by losing, not by winning, then what is the meaning of sport?"

But "GoGoGo" was quickly accused of being "unpatriotic."

"Shut up! You unpatriotic, ignorant ... Winning medal is all that matters," said a user named "ChinaHeart."

The players from China, South Korea and Indonesia had been accused by the BWF of breaching its players' code of conduct by "not using one's best efforts to win a match" and "conducting oneself in a manner that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the sport" in matches on Tuesday night.