BWF Sorry for Anthem Gaffe

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has apologised after the old fascist-era Spanish national anthem was played for gold medallist Carolina Marin at the world championships in Indonesia.

Marin successfully defended her world title in Jakarta on Sunday against India's Saina Nehwal.

But the version of Spain's Royal March played at the medal ceremony was the one dating back to Gen Francisco Franco's far-right dictatorship. Spain got rid of the words in 1978.

Since the death of Franco the Royal March has been played without words - and the mistake in Jakarta clearly amused Marin as she stood on the podium. A video clip on YouTube showed her reaction.

The words were written by poet Jose Maria Peman in 1928 and were adopted by Franco's nationalists in 1939 after their victory over left-wing forces in the Spanish Civil War.

"An older version of the anthem was played during the Women's Singles medal ceremony following Marin's retention of the title which she won a year ago," the BWF said in a statement.

"The Badminton World Federation and the hosts, the Indonesia Badminton Association, sincerely regret this unfortunate mistake."

The old anthem includes the words: "Glory to the Fatherland that knew how to follow, over the blue of the sea the path of the sun."

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Marin Wins Despite Fall

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World number one Carolina Marin will undergo physiotherapy ahead of her quarter final appearance at the world championships, after rolling her ankle on Thursday during her third-round win over Taiwan`s Pai Yu Po in Jakarta.

The injury-prone Spaniard fell to the ground in pain after an awkward stumble in the first set, with several tense minutes passing before she gingerly returned to the court.

Marin went on to defeat the unseeded Pai 21-11, 18-21, 21-17 but it was an unsettling experience for the top seed, who nearly missed the world championships entirely due to a separate injury.

"I just tried to not think about my ankle, because I was so scared, because maybe I could not play," she told reporters after the match.

"I have a physiotherapist here, so he is going to treat me now."

It was a case of history repeating itself for the defending champion, who sustained an injury to the same ankle in last year`s world championships in Copenhagen, which she went on to win.

Elsewhere, men`s number four seed Kento Momota of Japan breezed into the quarter finals with a straightforward 21-15, 21-16 win over Vietnam`s Nguyen Tien Minh.

But the 20-year-old shuttler`s campaign for a maiden world crown is about to hit a major hurdle, with a quarter final showdown against world number one Chen Long almost inevitable.

Denmark`s mixed doubles pair Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen suffered a dramatic loss to Indonesia`s Praveen Jordan and Debby Susanto, with the fifth seeds falling 22-20, 19-21, 23-21 to their lesser ranked opponents.

Chen, number-two seed Jan O. Jorgensen, five-time world champion Lin Dan and Malaysian superstar Lee Chong Wei are among the bigger names fighting for a quarter final slot later Thursday.

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