Laos loses certain medal after missing sepak takraw match

By Julian Linden INCHEON South Korea (Reuters) - Singapore were gifted a bronze medal in sepak takraw at the Asian Games on Monday when Laos were disqualified for arriving too late for their semi-final match the previous night. The Singaporeans were as surprised as anyone else when they were told they had won a bronze medal in the men's doubles event after finishing third in their group and failing to make the semi-finals. But they were later promoted to one of the two bronze medal positions when Laos were disqualified for missing the start of their semi-final with South Korea. The team explained that there was a mix-up with the schedule but under the strict rules of the competition they were ruled to have been a no-show, making them ineligible for the medals. Singapore were awarded the bronze because they had the best record of the teams that missed out on the semis. "We are not sure what was the main cause yet," confessed Singapore captain Mohamad Amran. "I want to express my congratulation for all other countries who won medals. This Asian Games was the opportunity for us to prove that our team was strong and competent." (Editing by Patrick Johnston)