New scoring system: shuttle in IBF's court

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, JUNE 21. The support for the new badminton scoring system of 5 x 7 (best of five games with seven points maximum in each game) is gathering momentum.

The International Badminton Federation (IBF) Council meeting held in Seville during the recent World Championships, it was decided to extend trials of the new format till July 31, 2002. The continuation of new rules will be tested in some of the major international championships including Grand Prix events, the World Grand Prix finals scheduled to be held in August 2000, Thomas Cup and Uber Cup competitions in 2002, the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002.

According to IBF, all continental bodies are evincing keen interest to the test the format on their respective circuits. Experiments at all levels of the game, have already been carried out this year, including in the World Junior championship held in Guangzhou in China, Copenhagen Open, Welsh Open and French Open championships.

If further trials prove successful, the IBF will put forward a proposal to make the new rules a permanent one at the next Annual General Body meeting of the IBF to be held in 2002, where a final decision will be taken.

If adopted, it will represent the most radical changes to be introduced in the game. There is a need to change in light of latent potential of a global audience. The sponsors too are demanding a change in order to make the game interesting.

The game's administrators are very optimistic about the change and hope it will usher in a new era and new riches for the game in terms of sponsorship. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), chief, Mr. Antonio Samaranch, in an address to IBF council held in Lausanne last year, stressed the need for badminton to keep pace with modern sports in the new millennium while, Andrew Ryan, Director of Marketing and Development, IBF was an vociferous advocate of the change. ``Badminton is entering a crucial phase where it had to compete with other major sports for live media exposure. We can't stick to outmoded and tired system.''

Whether the new pattern of scoring will rejuvenate the game remains to be seen. The matches would be certainly faster and gets over lot quicker and it would suit a player with good stack and speed. Or does it? The former National champion and the Head Coach and Director of the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, Vimal Kumar doesn't really agree.

``The change, it is said is being made to make the game attractive to suit TV Audience. But badminton has strokes like flicks, drops and deft placements, which are a treat to see. TV coverage doesn't really capture those great moments and coverage as such needs lot more expertise. As regards to domination by players with good attack and speed, some of the results seen recently are pointing in other direction. Like Abhinn Shyam Gupta, essentially a defensive player, won the French Open played on the new scoring format.''

``There has been contradictory signals from the players on the issue. Even the Asian Badminton Confederation (ABC), plans to conduct the next junior ABC Championship, on best of 15 points and not the new one. I feel the game might lose its charm if we change the format, if at all any change is needed, it should be in administration of the IBF, which should come up with innovative ideas in marketing the game, instead of changing the scoring rules,'' said Vimal Kumar.

The shuttle is now in IBF's court.

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