In response to the suspicion that the ‘introduction of the 15-point system’ being promoted by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) is a device to keep Ahn Se-young, the star of Korean badminton, in check, the BWF directly refuted the claim, saying, “Rather, it is a measure to extend the life of the player.”
However, the domestic badminton community thinks differently. It is claimed that there seems to be some intention to keep in check Korea’s top players with good stamina and endurance, such as Ahn Se-young and the men’s doubles pair of Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho.
In an official statement sent to Yonhap News at the end of last year, BWF Secretary-General Thomas Lund drew the line, saying, “The claim that the discussion on introducing a new point system is to dampen the momentum of specific players is a groundless speculation and is completely untrue.”
In particular, he emphasized that this reorganization is “to create an environment where top star players like Ahn Se-young can play for a longer period of time,” and made it clear that the goal is not to “kill Ahn Se-young,” but to “save Ahn Se-young.”
The new scoring system promoted by BWF aims to change the existing ’21 points, 3 out of 2 wins system’ to ’15 points, 3 games out of 2 wins system’. As the number of points per game decreases by 6, the tempo of the game increases and the importance of each rally increases.
As a result, there are concerns in Korea that the changes in BWF may be disadvantageous for Ahn Se-young, who is a ‘slow starter’ who dominates the second half of the game based on her overwhelming stamina and defensive ability.
In fact, Ahn Se-young showed a strong side in the game after scoring 15 points. Also, there were quite a few games where, after losing the first game, they found their pace and succeeded in turning things around in the middle of the second game.
A representative example is the quarterfinals and semifinals of the Paris Olympics, where the team came from behind to win 2-1.
Secretary General Lund said, “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 also said, “Reducing the number of points per game can ease the physical burden on players.” However, countries other than Korea are also concerned, saying, “In the case of men’s doubles, if the 15-point three-set system is introduced, the game could end in an instant.”
A high-ranking domestic badminton official also recently said, “If the new point system is introduced, isn’t it true that Ahn Se-young will be at a disadvantage? Anyone can see that it is advantageous for Chinese and Southeast Asian players,” and added, “China is already playing 15-point games in domestic competitions and the atmosphere is welcoming.”
First of all, Ahn Se-young interpreted it positively in an interview after returning home from the BWF World Tour Finals at the end of last year, saying, “It is good to save stamina when the game is short,” but the general consensus is that it is highly likely that Ahn Se-young will be the top player who will take a direct hit from the new scorer right now.
Photo = Yonhap News
