(Reporter Kwon Dong-hwan, Xports News) What effect will this have on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) No. 1 women’s singles team, Ahn Se-young, and men’s doubles, No. 1 team Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho?
BWF is considering introducing a ’15-point 3-game (set) system’ as a new scoring system.
Japanese media such as ‘Sponich Annex’ and ‘Badminton Spirit’ reported on the 2nd (Korean time), “As the BWF Board of Directors approved the proposal to introduce a 15-point 3-set system, the possibility of changing the current scoring system has increased.”
The media explained, “The Japan Badminton Association held a conference and announced that the BWF board of directors approved the introduction of the 15-point three-set system. If the application of the new scoring system is approved at the BWF annual general meeting scheduled to be held in April next year, it will be introduced worldwide from late 2026.”
Badminton has been using a 21-point 3-set scoring system since 2006. In 2017, an 11-point 5-set system was proposed, but it was not passed at the general meeting due to insufficient votes.
The media said, “The agenda for the scoring system is discussed every year, and BWF has been piloting the 15-point three-set system in low-level competitions since May of this year. After the competition ended, a survey was conducted from players, coaches, and competition management officials, and a review was scheduled at the board of directors in November based on the analysis results.”
In addition, he said, “Although the details have not been revealed, the proposal at the annual general meeting was approved by the board of directors from the perspective of shortening the game time, which was an issue, and preventing player health and injuries.”
According to the media, Shintaro Igeda, head of the Japan Badminton Association’s strengthening strategy division, explained the reason for pushing for a change in the scoring system, saying, “The rules of badminton have changed in many ways so far.”
He emphasized, “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 to adapt to the new regulations, and viewers will also feel that the game time is long.”
In addition, he said, “Rather than trying to decide with a single smash like in the past, the number of players who are creating games at a faster pace is increasing, and the way they fight is also changing.”
Regarding the impact of the new scoring system of 15 points, 3 games, he said, “The game time will be shorter, but I think the pros and cons will differ for each event.”
He said, “Women’s doubles has the aspect of ‘tenacious rallies’ rather than short rallies. The strength of Japanese women is that they can win in battles of physical strength and mental strength. On the other hand, there are men’s players who cannot keep up with long rallies, so the 15-point system is advantageous. So, I do not think that the 15-point system will have an advantage for Japan as a whole.”
In addition, he said, “The fun of badminton is that the 21-point 3-set system changes the development and flow during long rallies,” and added, “I personally think that watching and enjoying long games rather than enjoying short games is the way to enjoy badminton.” He also considered it positive that the current scoring system, the 21-point 3-set system, is maintained.
If the introduction of a new scoring system is proposed at the BWF Annual General Meeting, BWF member countries will vote on the introduction of a 15-point three-set system.
Since players’ play styles may change when a new system is introduced, the domestic badminton world is also paying attention to whether a rule change will be made for the first time in about 20 years.
In particular, since the current pair of Ahn Se-young and Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho are absolute powerhouses in the BWF women’s singles and men’s doubles, respectively, attention is focused on whether the new scoring system will have a positive or negative impact on them.
If the 21-point 3-set system is changed to the 15-point 3-set system, the game time will be significantly reduced, but it is highly likely that Ahn Se-young’s unique ‘endurance fight’ will be blocked.
Ahn Se-young is famous for his ‘suffocating defense’ based on his excellent stamina and defense. In many cases, the opposing player is unable to break through Ahn Se-young’s defense while launching a fierce attack, and eventually gives up the initiative to Ahn Se-young in the latter half of the game as his stamina decreases.
Because of this, some fans expressed concern that if the rules are changed, some of Ahn Se-young’s strengths may be blocked, which may have a negative impact on the overwhelming performance she has been showing recently.
There may also be a negative impact on the team of Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho, who are sweeping the world championships and other international competitions less than a year after their formation in January. In men’s doubles, where two men pair up and attack continuously, the average game time is shorter than other sports, but it is unclear what variables will arise if the game time is shortened further by changing to a 15-point 3-set system.
Photo = Yonhap News
Reporter Kwon Dong-hwan kkddhh95@xportsnews.com
