21-point system PASSED by IBF AGM!!!

[ctjcad]

Replying to CTJCAD:

To be honest, yes I do. It is a fact that for each Olympic there is a continous drive to limit the number of sports to cut cost. Obviously the sports that get included will be the ones that are highly popular and could get the large majority support from the committee members. Not to mention the huge influence some of the major sponsors would have on the decision. If badminton is to only be enjoyed by only with a selected group of countries, then yes it will risk being voted out.

So from this angle, the appearance of German, Holland and Chinese Taipei in the Uber Cup last 4 is a good sign. Yes at the end China won hands down as we have expected, but dont you think just being there, winning Silver and Bronze in a major event like Uber Cup give these countries something to cheer about and indeed some hope for the younger shuttlers back home? I think the result is positive in that way - it give them hope, probably not winning the gold but give the traditional strong teams a good run for their money.

Looking at the major events, the price money is monkey compare to other sports. Name me a major global reconisable corporate name (besides Yonex) that winning to sponsor a major 5 or 6 stars events? Hardly any.

What sustain some of the badminton powerhouses to continue badminton development is the chance to bring national glory in event like Olympic to put the nation name on a world map. I believe there is a fair amount of public money being pump into it relative to commercial sponsorship - in longer term, this may not be sustainable. I cannot imagine what would happen to the body of badminton in the likes of Indonesia, Malaysia (or dare I mention Singapore) if badminton is no longer a event in future Olympic.

I am not saying 3x21 is good, but it does allow badminton to evolve in this commercial driven sports arena. It may even allows it to survive.

Cheers

hmm, fair enough reply...
well, we shall see what will be the public's as well as the sponsors' reactions after the World Championship(Spain) this coming September(as that is the next "major event" which IBF will gage the new scoring system)..

[Linus]

hmm, fair enough reply...
well, we shall see what will be the public's as well as the sponsors' reactions after the World Championship(Spain) this coming September(as that is the next "major event" which IBF will gage the new scoring system)..

Thanks!
Yes let's see how this new system goes, and more importantly how IBF, after making the decision to go with this system, is going to sell this to the commercial world and get the long overdue recongnition that badminton is the next "beautiful game" that worth their support.

Hopefully, it is a win-win situation, that the players and the supporters all benefit.

[Neil Nicholls]

In the old days, I recalled a major competition like TC or AE finals could last more than 5 hours. In the modern era when air times are at such a premium, this must be a nightmare for any organiser to sell the broadcasting right and say that it will last somewhere between 2 hours to 6 hours. It is just quite impossible.

I don't know about other countries, but in the UK there is more air time available than the TV companies can fill. The main free to air broadcasters in the UK, BBC, ITV and C4 have multiple channels stuffed full of repeats of old shows,
repeats of what was on earlier the same day, repeats of what was on earlier this week, repeats of what was on last week, repeats and more repeats.
Repeats of the weather forecast, where they tell you what the weather was like yesterday.

[jamesd20]

The new system has not been a disaster, and I think it meets the objectives of closely predictable timing, and good excitment levels.

As many people have said, this is not a surprise and not really bad news.

[DutchRion]

nope indeed, we already practise for like 4 months now with the new system, to get used to it..... though i have to admit serve only points are clearly better for me, as i tend to fight back from being far behind, and i am more of an endurance player , but it can go either way, i tend to let the opponent make mistakes (which now always gives me points)

[Baderz_Jas]

Oh no!!! The new scoring system SUCKS
Now they will be using it in our tournaments!!!

[Tsumaranai]

Oh no!!! The new scoring system SUCKS
Now they will be using it in our tournaments!!!

Yes, I fully concur. From what I've heard, it has brought badminton into a totally different light of less productivity. Although I respect everyone's opinions and the point for commercial aspects and to possibly save its position in the Olympics, it can hardly account for the thousands and millions of people who are dissatisfied with this change. It may be true that it is up to the public's leisure to play with a certain set of rules, official tournaments would involve these [official] 'laws', and many would find playing less enjoyable. The fact that the rules pertain more to the pros than it does us recreational players makes it difficult for some to understand the substantial strain it may put on participants who do not wish to deal with such a radical coversion. But, it is imperative that it is a matter of great importance to the public, even more so than the pros. Point being, if there is no public to support a sport, it will eventually die. And that may or may not be due to the fact that such changes discourage the international fan(atic) community, but it is certainly a pronouncable factor. As for the commercial viewing time and duration of games, I find that since badminton is more so a year-round sport, rather than a seasonal sport, it is harder to find open slots of time, as other more popular(well known) sports would be of higher priority. Besides this, it is up to the IBF to find broadcasting through more convenient means, so that the public does not have to scour for a channel in which to view its media. More air time outside of the Olympics should be brought to more local stations in individual countries. This may be a difficult task, but it is a better goal, than to try to promote a sport through changes unwanted by the majority.

In any case, the change arising with all its controversy, would not matter to those who do not concern themselves with this sport, and therefore, would bring no substantial number of new supporters who'd care. Those who are loyal to the sport and enjoy it with their full capacity would most likely honor this change. But, it is also not to say that those who do not favor this sport BECAUSE of this change are not truly loyal or incompetent. It may just be that they do not want to deal with all the discrepency and poignant offense that it offers. Furthermore, the decision of commercial publicity over public and professional preference/familiarity is an aspect which is well biased.

[ctjcad]

Besides this, it is up to the IBF to find broadcasting through more convenient means, so that the public does not have to scour for a channel in which to view its media. More air time outside of the Olympics should be brought to more local stations in individual countries. This may be a difficult task, but it is a better goal, than to try to promote a sport through changes unwanted by the majority.

Tsumaranai, you brought up a very interesting point...And IMO, it is a very "powerful" approach in promoting the sport...With this said, i was wondering, is it possible if IBF and ESPN/ESPN2 sign somekind of a contract(1-2 yr. is good) to televise live broadcast of IBF "bigger" events?ie. Thomas and Uber Cup, Sudirman Cup, Olympics and World Championships to begin with..Rather than thru broadband web..I mean why can't ESPN broadcast those events live or delayed??..Have it scheduled on ESPN for people to watch, even for 1-2 hrs...For example, i know CNBC did attempt it 2 yrs. ago in the Olympics and last yr's attempt by ESPN to broadcast the World Championship was a good start..Why not continue it further??..BTW, i don't know if anyone noticed, but i noticed in the recent Thomas & Uber Cup, i thought i saw Charmaine Reid doing interviews with players at the end of some matches like she did in last yr's WC, if not sorry, maybe i'm seeing things..

We all know badminton is already popular in Asia and some part of Europe, but why not have the game exposed more to the U.S. public??...Especially considering a way to popularize the game in the U.S...Imagine us fans living in the U.S./North or South American continent getting a cable broadcast of the Thomas & Uber Cup, rather than thru broadband web??...If for just for 1-2 hrs, let it be, the rating migh start slowly, but it's a start??..I mean, if they can broadcast live poker tournaments, why can't they broadcast badminton(which probably has much more following that poker)??..Isn't U.S. basically the commercial capital of the world and an oasis for badminton to become popular??..

[DutchRion]

To bad the USA media and sponsors are just not willing to take the step to advocate for badminton, and to put actually money in it (in the form of products and especially TV-shows/matches etc.).... though i hope to see a rise of that!. Though i think badminton looks easier when you see it on the television....but when i stand on the court all i do is wondering how can it look so easy but be so hard

[ants]

Well weather its 3x15 points or 3x21points. It is the rule of the game. We just need to follow it. Things will get more interesting.

[taneepak]

If we review what have been said about the new scoring system in BC, from the beginning to now, the initially negative, very loud, and almost hostile torrent of words against the new system have now become more muted. Do we look a little foolish now? Some have even threatened to give up the game. For the life of me, why? Over a mere change in scoring system? Now that it has been finally decided, let us close ranks and do what we ought to do-continue playing the beautiful game, badminton, but using the new 3 x 21 rally system.

[CWB001]

If we review what have been said about the new scoring system in BC, from the beginning to now, the initially negative, very loud, and almost hostile torrent of words against the new system have now become more muted. Do we look a little foolish now? Some have even threatened to give up the game. For the life of me, why? Over a mere change in scoring system? Now that it has been finally decided, let us close ranks and do what we ought to do-continue playing the beautiful game, badminton, but using the new 3 x 21 rally system.

The only foolish ones are those that swallow what the IBF and Punch say without question.

I'm sorry, but you really do come over as smug, arrogant and patronising. Over-use of the misplaced and badly-chosen smilies does not help. I mean that constructively.

The battle for the scoring system is lost, sadly, and we can now stop arguing and start to worry about the damage it will do to the sport. And, what is worse, what further damage will the incompetents at the top inflict?

Your comment about "a mere change in scoring system" shows that you do not appreciate how this changes the creful checks and balances already built into the game.

[taneepak]

The only foolish ones are those that swallow what the IBF and Punch say without question.

The battle for the scoring system is lost, sadly, and we can now stop arguing and start to worry about the damage it will do to the sport. And, what is worse, what further damage will the incompetents at the top inflict?

On the contrary, I think Punch and the IBF did a fantastic job for the good of the game. Damage to the game, what damage? The 'incompetents' at the top wouldn't be shakers and movers if they were incompetent. I think it is an exciting time for badminton. We can revisit this thread a year from now and do an 'audit' of the new game.

[Loh]

On the contrary, I think Punch and the IBF did a fantastic job for the good of the game. Damage to the game, what damage? The 'incompetents' at the top wouldn't be shakers and movers if they were incompetent. I think it is an exciting time for badminton. We can revisit this thread a year from now and do an 'audit' of the new game.

I must also add that the IBF Council did world badminton a lot of good with the introduction of the new 21 point rally system, despite all the brickbats. It takes a great deal of courage and leadership for the IBF Team, particularly Punch, to come out with such an exhilarating knock-out blow.

At the outset, some badminton stars cursed the new system, some liked it and in the course of the short experimental period, some got more accustomed to it and began to accept it as a matter of course. This is to be expected as any new change will cause unhappiness and destabalize the comfort zone. But in the end, the true professionals will be able to adapt to the change as it affects their livelihood. It is social players like us who are the most discontented and more vocal in our remarks.

As the world team championships in the recent TC and UC have demonstrated, most players performed to expectation and many provided very exciting exchanges on the courts. The top teams did not actually falter and most of us probably got our own predictions correct, saved for the match between Malaysia and Denmark. If skipper Wong Choong Hann had not been injured, it would have even provided a higher climax to that spectacle. But as fortunes would have it, Malaysia lost to a better team in the most unexpected outcome.

Denmark lost both of its highly-rated doubles and only managed to salvage victory through its singles, despite the fact that its 3rd singles was ranked lower than Malaysia's. The final score of 3-2 was the fairest outcome of two finely-contested badminton superpowers. And boy, what great excitement they have provided on TV! And I think the new 21 point rally system must have aided many newcomers to keep up with the proceedings.

Personally, I don't think much damage has been done, if any. On the contrary, I can see more good has resulted and much more will follow. Apart from the heavy IBF schedules during the month of June, the more important challenge will come from the World Championships in Madrid in September. By then, the professionals would have adapted themselves very well to the new system and may surprise us with new moves never seen before. Won't that be delightful?

[Cheung]

The only foolish ones are those that swallow what the IBF and Punch say without question.

I'm sorry, but you really do come over as smug, arrogant and patronising. Over-use of the misplaced and badly-chosen smilies does not help. I mean that constructively.

The battle for the scoring system is lost, sadly, and we can now stop arguing and start to worry about the damage it will do to the sport. And, what is worse, what further damage will the incompetents at the top inflict?

Your comment about "a mere change in scoring system" shows that you do not appreciate how this changes the creful checks and balances already built into the game.

I am not convinced of these argments against the scoring system. I know that many people don't want to change. The main impetus for change will be from Associations which will start to implement the scoring system in local tournaments and club matches. Either you as a player adapt and keep playing, or refuse to adapt only to your own detriment.

The sport needs to evolve just as other sports do and have done. As for playing two different scoring systems, tennis must have a bigger variety of scoring systems. They play 3 or 5 sets, 5th set might be a tie break or you have to win by two clear games for that 5th set. As another example of tennis evolving, I see they've done away with the break after the 1st game.

Another consideration is, do we let the feelings of a minority restrict the progress of the game?


All in all, I think if a minority don't want to change to the new system, that's fine with them. But they shouldn't think their personal opinion and preference are necessarily correct. These are the people that will get left behind in the process of change.

IMHO, it doesn't make too much difference. Scoring is simplified - that's great for the casual observer. Games are not shortened by a great amount. Ladies singles have to play longer giving us political correctness. Unpredictability gives the game more of an edge to the unintiated spectator. More importantly, I think it is better than the the 5 x 7 system!!

[kanive]

Another consideration is, do we let the feelings of a minority restrict the progress of the game?

seriously, that is funny!!!

All in all, I think if a minority don't want to change to the new system, that's fine with them. But they shouldn't think their personal opinion and preference are necessarily correct. These are the people that will get left behind in the process of change.

Not to worry, we will keep 3x15 alive until IBF changes back again. We will still be here when you come around in four years admitting that playing rally21 has hurt your stamina, your creativity on court, and has lowered the overall standard of the game. I guess now we have two kinds of badminton, the classical and the simplified. Fine.

[CWB001]

Another consideration is, do we let the feelings of a minority restrict the progress of the game?

Yes, these 80% minorities are a nuisance aren't they? The 20% majority must carry on!