How the proposed new scoring system would change badminton’s landscape

What happens astatine 14-14? We volition proceed to play connected till 1 broadside gains a two-point pb first. In the existent scoring system, 29-29 becomes the decisive constituent successful a game, which volition present alteration to 20-all. So the broadside scoring the 21st constituent volition triumph the game.

Will this regularisation alteration beryllium immediate?

There is immoderate clip yet. The BWF Council has lone approved a program wherever the 3×15 volition beryllium tested astatine selected Continental Championships, Grade 3 tournaments, nationalist and planetary leagues, and nationalist tournaments. The investigating play is acceptable to beryllium astir April to September/October 2025.

Towards the extremity of the investigating period, BWF said it volition survey cardinal stakeholders astatine each tourney arsenic good arsenic an wide survey of each Members, Athletes’ Commissions (players), method officials, and commercialized partners. “BWF Council volition marque a last determination whether to suggest this caller strategy to the BWF Annual General Meeting 2026,” the governing assemblage said.

What are the reasons for this projected change?

The BWF has listed 3 main factors. a) much breathtaking points and a higher probability that each constituent is much exciting; b) Getting to much breathtaking points sooner; c) the shorter matches volition pb to amended scheduling and assistance prolong instrumentality involvement portion besides helping with subordinate wellness and longevity.

Wasn’t 15 points the OG system?

Yes, historically, badminton was a 15-point sport, but this projected alteration is not a instrumentality to the older days. Originally, each disciplines were played to 15, portion women’s singles was till 11. But the cardinal facet successful that erstwhile strategy was that lone the serving broadside could triumph a point. Every clip a broadside mislaid serve, determination was nary alteration to the scoreboard. So, a crippled could beryllium decided 15-2, for instance, but that was nary warrant of it being a abbreviated crippled if the service kept changing hands.

What was the past large experiment?

There was the whirlwind 7×5 play successful 2002, erstwhile each lucifer was played arsenic the champion of 5 games and a crippled was won by the archetypal broadside to people 7 points. It was utilized astatine the 2002 Commonwealth Games successful Manchester, but that’s wherever it stopped. According to BBC, the determination to abort the experimentation was taken aft a six-hour statement astatine an International Badminton Federation (IBF was the predecessor to BWF) assembly gathering wherever it “was evident the bulk of the members inactive favoured the aged scoring system,” according to the president Korn Dabbaransi.

How agelong has the existent strategy been successful place?

When the 21×3 (setting to 30) strategy was introduced, it was a important departure from the older scoring system. Under the “rally point” system, arsenic it is known, each rally accounted for a point, and not conscionable the subordinate oregon squad holding serve. It was introduced astatine the commencement of the 2006 play and has been successful usage since past internationally, but attempts person been made to alteration this.

So determination was a caller effort to change?

Indeed. As precocious arsenic 2021, determination was a large propulsion from BWF to alteration the scoring strategy to 11 x 5 (best of 5, with 11 points to triumph a game). That connection had been enactment guardant by the Indonesian Badminton Association. It turned retired to beryllium an incredibly adjacent ballot astatine the 82nd BWF AGM. The 11×5 connection received 66.31% votes for and 33.69% against, but it was marginally abbreviated of the two-thirds bulk needed (>66.67%). BWF President Poul-Erik Høyer had said then: “…proposed scoring strategy alteration has been portion of my imaginativeness to marque badminton much breathtaking and to summation the amusement worth for stakeholders.” A full of 282 votes were formed successful that AGM.