Even though it was the final of the King of Kings, there was a scene where some spectators fell asleep, so it is expected that the Badminton World Federation (BWF) will gain momentum in introducing the ‘3 sets of 15 points system’.
Chinese media ‘Sina Sports’ approved the new scoring system being promoted by BWF on the 26th (Korean time).
The Japan Badminton Association recently announced that the Badminton World Federation (BWF) board of directors approved the introduction of the 15-point three-set system.
Badminton has been using a 21-point 3-set scoring system since 2006. If the new scoring system is approved at the BWF Annual General Meeting held in April next year, it will be introduced worldwide from late 2026.
Shintaro Igeda, head of the Japan Badminton Association’s strengthening strategy division, said, “After the scoring system became a 21-point rally point system, the game time became shorter for the first four years,” adding, “But later, players began adapting to the new regulations, and viewers will also feel that the game time is long.”
If the system is changed, the game time will be drastically reduced. As game time decreases, it is expected that there will be a positive impact on players’ injury management and fans’ interest.
The media also supported the introduction of the 15-point system based on scenes from the women’s singles and women’s doubles finals of the 2025 BWF World Tour Finals held at the Olympic Sports Center in Hangzhou, China on the 21st.
The Korean national badminton team won three gold medals by winning the women’s singles, women’s doubles, and men’s doubles events at the World Tour Finals, which was a king-of-the-season competition.
‘Badminton Empress’ Ahn Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance, world No. 1) won the women’s singles final on the 21st, defeating China’s Wang Zhiyi (world No. 2) with a game score of 2-1 (21-13 18-21 21-10).
In the women’s doubles, the team of Sohee Lee (Incheon International Airport) and Hana Baek (MG Saemaeul Geumgo) won the game score 2-0 (21-17 21-11) after a head-to-head match against Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto (Japan) and lifted the championship trophy. Afterwards, the team of Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho (Samsung Life Insurance) also reached the top of the men’s doubles competition.
At this time, Ahn Se-young played for a whopping 1 hour and 36 minutes, and the women’s doubles final match time also reached 1 hour and 9 minutes.
In particular, when the pair of Lee So-hee and Baek Hana were trailing 8-9 in the first game of the women’s doubles final, they won after exchanging 156 shots for 2 minutes and 40 seconds.
Their match was fierce as expected in the finals, but as the game took too long, some spectators were seen getting bored.
The media pointed out, “After watching the women’s doubles final and women’s singles final, I think the BWF’s decision was very wise. Badminton really needs to be changed to a 15-point system. The audience was almost dozing off in these two games.”
BWF Secretary-General Thomas Lund also predicted that the introduction of a new scoring system will not only reduce the burden on players, but also make the game more dynamic and increase fan interest.
He especially emphasized that the introduction of the 15-point system was not a measure to prevent Ahn Se-young’s dominance. Ahn Se-young is an absolute powerhouse in women’s singles, winning 11 gold medals, including the World Tour Finals, this season. Some argued that the rule change may be a measure to block Ahn Se-young’s specialty, ‘endurance fighting’.
When the suspicion of ‘killing Ahn Se-young’ arose, BWF immediately launched a rebuttal.
According to Yonhap News on the 28th, Secretary General Lund sent an official statement to Yonhap News, explaining, “This system reform is to create an environment where top star players like Ahn Se-young can play for a longer period of time.”
In addition, he emphasized, “The introduction of the 15-point system is an attempt to transform badminton into a dynamic and attractive sport in line with modern spectator trends.”
He said, “By increasing the importance of rallies and forming a winning team from the beginning of the game, we want to make badminton a faster and more exciting sport. Above all, if the number of points per game is reduced, the physical burden on players can be eased.”
Photo = Yonhap News / Xports News DB
