BWF promotes introduction of ‘15-point system’ at annual general meeting in April
“Increasing world tour competitions… to protect players”
Concerns about being at a disadvantage to Ahn Se-young, Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho
Korea Badminton Association, national team also seeks response measures
Se-young Ahn is kissing the trophy after reaching the top of the women’s singles at the 2025 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals held at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center in Zhejiang Province, China, on December 21, 2025. Hangzhou = Xinhua Newsis
As the Badminton World Federation (BWF) is pushing for a plan to lower the score per set from 21 to 15, the Korean national team has also quickly started to come up with countermeasures.
BWF plans to hold a general meeting in Denmark in April and vote on changes to the scoring system regulations. The key is to change the 21-point system to a 15-point system per set. BWF underwent pilot operations at some national competitions in April last year and the World Junior Championships in October, and was approved by the Board of Directors in December. BWF explains, “This is a measure to reduce the physical burden on players due to the expansion of world tour competitions.”
If officially approved at the general meeting, the new system is expected to be introduced early next year. The 21-point system will be used until the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games scheduled for September and the 2026 World Tour Finals at the end of the year, and the 15-point system will be applied from January 2027. In this case, athletes will complete adaptation through international competitions for about four months until April 2027, and then accumulate ranking points for the 2028 Los Angeles (LA) Olympic Games from May 1 to the end of April 2028.
Kim Won-ho (right) and Seo Seung-jae are cheering after defeating China’s Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang 2-0 (21-18 21-14) in the men’s doubles final of the 2025 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals held at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center in Zhejiang, China, on December 21, 2025. Hangzhou = Xinhua Newsis
The key is how the Korean national team, which is achieving the best performance in the current 21-point system, will be affected. Ahn Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance), ranked first in the women’s singles world rankings, and Seung-jae Seo and Won-ho Kim (Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance), ranked first in men’s doubles, are evaluated as ‘slow starters’ who turn the game around with their stamina and concentration even if they give up points in the early stages. Therefore, there are concerns that if the number of points per set decreases, this type of game management may be disadvantageous. Samsung Life Insurance coach Gil Young-ah said, “Our players sometimes fall behind by 5-0, 6-0, or 7-0 in the beginning. Even if they can make up for it in the 21-point system, it may be difficult to catch up in the 15-point system,” and emphasized, “We need to reduce early mistakes and be aggressive from the start.”
The Korea Badminton Association and the national team are also preparing response plans. Kim Dong-moon, president of the association, said, “It is highly likely that the new system will be passed at the April general meeting. We are discussing the timing of application for domestic competitions, and it is highly likely that it will be right after the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.” Therefore, we are discussing a plan to hold the National Sports Festival or unemployment league games in the second half of the year with a 15-point system.
The national team is also considering ways to manage the game. Coach Park Joo-bong said in a recent interview with the Hankook Ilbo, “It is true that Ahn Se-young is a slow starter, but we just need to change the game management to attack quickly and aggressively from the beginning. We plan to practice in our spare time during the training process. The adjustment period is sufficient.”
Jinju Kim reporter pearlkim72@hankookilbo.com
