Is Badminton approaching towards Professionalism? Interesting news for the 12-leg Super Series, which is starting in 2007. The Badminton World Federation, BWF, has decided to do away with the national separation ruling for the Super Series. This was announced on Sunday, 17-Dec-2006. Only the top two seeds will be divided into the two halves of the 32-player draw. And the entries for the Super Series are based on the order of the world rankings. Also, from 2010 onwards, the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals will be held at a different time. Here is part of an article from The Star, Monday 18-Dec-2006. ________________________________________ Badminton: BWF spice things up By RAJES PAUL Monday 18-Dec-2006 KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's top two men singles players – Lee Chong Wei and Mohd Hafiz Hashim – could meet as early as the first round in the Malaysian Super Series following the Badminton World Federation's (BWF) decision to do away with the national separation ruling. Yesterday the BWF decided that they would not separate the top two players of a country in different halves of the draw during a council meeting at Hotel Istana here yesterday. And to make it even more challenging, only the top two seeds will be divided into the two halves of the 32-player draw. The entries for the 12-leg Super Series are based on the order of the world rankings. Malaysia is the first leg of the series, which will be held from Jan 16-21 at the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Association (KLBA) Hall in Cheras. The BWF's deputy president Datuk Punch Gunalan said that the decision to scrap the national separation ruling was to spice up the Super Series meet. “This is one of our approaches towards professionalism. It is just unlucky if a country's top two players are to meet each other earlier. This ruling however, only applies to the Super Series,” said Punch. Punch also announced several other decisions made by the council members yesterday. All the Super Series hosts will have to adhere to special presentation requirements. Plasma televisions will be used to screen scores; online scoring will be compulsory; the court arena will be carpeted; and the on-court activities will be organised in a more orderly manner. BWF have also decided to appoint tournaments directors to ensure that the tournaments are carried out professionally. “Previously, the referee is in charge during a tournament. But now, we have decided to introduce part-time tournament directors from our own council members,” said Punch. “These experienced people will look into every aspect of organising and ensure that high standards are maintained by hosts during Olympic Games, Asian Games, Thomas Cup Finals and the Super Series.” It was also decided that Paris, France would host the 2010 World Championships. Malaysia and India are hosts for the 2007 and 2009 meets. There will be no world championships during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Another significant change will be the separation of Thomas and Uber Cup Finals. “From 2010 onwards, the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals will be held at a different time. We want to give the women team competition the prominence that it deserves,” he added. BWF have also agreed to introduce coach education course at the University of Sofia in Bulgaria – similar to the FIFA (world football governing body) coaching set-up. ________________________________________
Its about time! Less China vs China finals = better viewing demographic. Also the seperation of cups spells more money where it is deserved. This will end the debate once and for all about which gender sells the most tickets.
Link for The Star, Monday 18-Dec-2006 BTW, for the full article, here is the link= BWF: Decision to do away with the national separation ruling Cheers... chris@ccc
Gee, "approaching towards professionalism"? The BWF does not have a good understanding the English language. Does anyone there even know what "professionalism" means? Here's a good analogy, similar to what my (American) ex-GF once said (when she went to my parents' house and opened up the kitchen cabinets), "There's so much food (in Chinese homes) packed in the cabinets but nothing to eat." The same applies to the BWF.
What is professionalism ? Hi DinkAlot, Hehehe, you have got me to check up 'professionalism' in Wikipedia. This is a part of what Wikipedia says; How to find definitions of professionalism Many organizations have codified their conduct, often designated “code of ethics”, and what they require for entry into their organization and how to remain in good standing. Some of these codes are quite detailed and make strong emphasis on their particular area or expertise, for example, journalists emphasise the use of credible sources and protecting their identities, psychologists emphasize privacy of the patient and communications with other psychologists, anthropologists emphasize rules on intrusions into a culture being studied. Most of the codes do show an overlap in such concepts as, ’do no harm’, ‘be honest’, ‘do not use your position for private gain,’ etc. Another area of inquiry that will allow a student of this subject to define concepts of professionalism may be inferred from guarantees. But these are inferences only. The idea behind a guarantee is that the person offering the guarantee is accountable to the extent of damages that will be compensated. One thing these sources hold in common, implicit or explicit, is the idea of accountability—those who are members of these organizations or professions are held accountable for what they do. Cheers... chris@ccc
Is it tougher to play against own teammates ??? Hi Eurasian =-(O), Yes, if players of same country are not playing against each other in the Finals, then they have to play against each other in early rounds. So, which is better ??? I am still pondering. Cheers... chris@ccc ====== start article ====== New Straits Times Badminton/Malaysia Open: Minor meets on duo’s minds 11-Jan-2007 K.M. Boopathy KOO Kien Keat, shocked with the Malaysia Open men’s doubles draw, believes he and his partner Tan Boon Heong should forget about the Super Series and instead focus on minor tournaments organised by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). A sad scenario indeed as Kien Keat-Boon Heong are the Asian Games champions and yet cannot regularly compete in the Super Series which is supposed to parade the best in badminton. The Super Series comprises 12 competitions introduced by the BWF to popularise badminton and give players an opportunity to earn better prize money and increase their ranking points. However, Kien Keat-Boon Heong, ranked World No 119, have to compete in the qualifying rounds of the Malaysia Open which begins at the KLBA Stadium on Tuesday and are out of the next Super Series event, the Korean Open, on Jan 23-28. Kien Keat-Boon Heong’s place in the main draw has gone to another Malaysian pair Chan Chong Ming-Hoon Thien How, who do not have a world ranking, no thanks to the notional ranking system which gives new players or pairs who have not competed in any tournament, a better chance of making the main draw. What is worse is that Kien Keat-Boon Heong, who should clear the qualifying rounds by beating former national pair Chew Choon Eng-Hong Chien Hun, will meet Chong Ming-Thien How in the first round of the main draw. A win will pit them against another Malaysian pair — joint third seeds Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah — and if Kien Keat-Boon Heong survive, they could play yet another Malaysian pair for a fourth time in Lin Woon Fui-Fairuzizuan Tazari in the quarter-finals. "I am shocked and do not know how to explain this. It is already difficult to play in the qualifying rounds and then meet our teammates in the main draw," said Kien Keat. "We cannot play in the next Super Series tournament in Korea Open and if the situation remains the same, we must settle for the minor events and improve our world ranking. "We would prefer playing against pairs from other countries. The toughest is playing against our teammates and we cannot expect much in the Malaysia Open. "We need to qualify for the World Championships (in Kuala Lumpur in August) and we have no choice but to compete in smaller tournaments." National doubles coach Rexy Mainaky suggested that BWF should do away with the notional ranking but instead, the governing body has only abolished nationality separation which means players from the same country may compete against each other as early as the first round. This is the reason why all five Malaysian pairs, including Gan Teik Chai-Zakry Latif, were drawn in the bottom half of the draw. Indonesia’s top two combinations Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan and Luluk Hadiyanto-Alven Yulianto were also affected as they are likely to meet in the second round. The BWF may have to review the qualifying structure of the Super Series right after the Malaysia Open as the current scenario is unlikely to give the new format much impact. ====== end article ======
. Do u mean Is badminton approaching toward mainstream sports instead of professionalism. I think badminton is a professional sports already as it is an olympic sports and has an internationally based association (BWF)
'Professionalism' - a word used in the article Hi cooler, The word 'Professionalism' was the word used in the article, which I will highlight below. I put it in this thread, in our Forum, so that we can discuss/examine it. And, I am still pondering over it. Cheers...chris@ccc
I'd like to add my two cents opinion on the matter. I don't think the current prize money offered in badminton is sufficient to make badminton a professional sport. In tennis it is possible to make a living by playing pro tennis even if you don't win tournaments. The prize money for early round losers is enough to cover your expenses and there would be still be money left to reward the players. In badminton the prize money for the winners is chickenfeed especially for players in the West (including Korea and Japan) where the living standards are much higher than say Indonesia, Malaysia or China. One would have to win tournaments regularly to make a sufficient profit after covering one's expenses (travel, accomodation, private coach, etc). The sponsor such as the multinational Yonex (or even new sponsors such as maybe Kia, Hyundai, Toyota etc) must increase the prize money substantially and sufficiently reward for early round losers to push badminton to be a professional sport. I am sure the multinationals can afford it but I am afraid there is no will for them to do so because badminton as a sport is not big enough globally in particular in affluent countries. Having said that on the issue of private coaches I myself know from personal knowledge that Ardy Wiranata when he was in the national training team during his spare time trained with a private coach outside pelatnas. Mia Audina before she joined the national team trained with her club and her father who is her private coach and trains with her brother outside club training hours.
Good Luck to BWF and all Badminton Lovers Hi sabathiel, Yes, the current prize money is still not sufficient to make Badminton a professional sport, but I have to say that the present BWF is trying to do something about it. Global television marketing and distribution is the way to go about it. Here is an article of interest. ====== start article ====== New Super Series to raise prize money & profile Author: Reuters Date: 14 Dec 2006 Badminton's most prestigious event, the All England Championship, will be part of a new cash-driven 12-tournament Super Series tour aimed at raising the sport's global appeal. Governing body Badminton World Federation (BWF), formerly known as the International Badminton Federation, said on Thursday that the inaugural series in 2007 will offer minimum prize money of US$200,000 (102,000 pounds) for each tournament. "There will be more prize money, more television coverage and the opportunity for players to make a proper living out of the sport, just like tennis," BWF deputy president Punch Gunalan told Reuters. "The important thing is to make badminton one of the leading racquet sports in the world." The Super Series, running from January to December, will feature tournaments in England, China, Denmark, France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Switzerland. China will stage two tournaments while a season-ending BWF Super Series Masters for the top eight in men's and women's singles and doubles will be played at a venue yet to be announced. Badminton is hoping to make the most of recent rule changes that now sees 21-point rally sets, in which points can be scored no matter who is serving. Previously a point could only be scored by a serving player. STEP FORWARD Canadian top-50 player Bobby Milroy said the series is a major step forward for the sport. "This is what we were waiting for the past 10 years," he said. "We knew it was the only way this sport could take off. "Tennis has been doing this for 20 years. We are really excited about this. The new points system is great. Players were sceptical at first but now we can't imagine going back to the old system." Paisan Rangsikitpho, BWF's chairman of events, said he hopes the series will encourage more players from Europe, the Americas and Africa to challenge what has traditionally been an Asian-dominated sport. "With more prize money, it would mean that players can make a living out of the sport, therefore, it may encourage more players from the US and Europe to play badminton," said Paisan. While minimum prize money is US$200,000, individual tournaments are allowed to offer purses above this amount. BWF has also appointed Stockhold-based IEC in Sports to handle global television marketing and distribution. ====== end article ====== Cheers... chris@ccc
According to the Oxford dictionary, "professional" means: 1. Engaged in an activity as a paid occupation rather than as an amateur, and 2. Relating to, or belonging to a profession. Worthy of or appropriate to a professional person. In the first sense, badminton qualifies as most of the players participating in the SS and BWF sanctioned tournaments with prize monies are professionals who are paid or rewarded for playing badminton. Whether or not the financial rewards are sufficient or attractive enough for them is another matter. To the players in the developing countries with a lower standard and cost of living, the rewards may be considered good but not so to players from the developed countries, unless they win perhaps at least 5 Super Series a year. As the SS prize monies go up, and as more sponsorships and commercial endorsement become available, more from the developed countries may be attracted to turn professional. But regarding the ethical side of professionalism, although there is always an "ideal or universal code of ethics" for professionals, unfortunately in practice, it will vary from person to person and from country to country. Even the penalties meted out for "unprofessional conduct" are not the same worldwide. It depends on circumstances and who are involved. I can't help using a recent example in a soccer match between Singapore and Thailand for the ASEAN (formerly Tiger) Cup. During the first leg held in Singapore, the Malaysian referee awarded a penalty to Singapore, but the entire Thai team protested by walking out. Worse still, it was the Thai coach who instigated the walkout. And in the end, the Thai team only received a warning from the governing body. What level of professionalism, if any, can this be? (For the record Singapore was crowned Asean champion when they held Thailand 1-all during the second leg in Bangkok.) To be fair, professionalism is an ideal that true professionals will need to bear in mind and work towards achieving it. The level of professionalism not only depends on the players themselves, but also on the coaches, the supervisory bodies, the administrators and all those involved in the sport. Can we honestly say we can wipe out all the cheats, those who take to drugs to enhance their performance, those who instruct their players to purposely lose a match in exchange for something seemingly more advantageous, those who think they can defy the authorities? In that sense, badminton is approaching professionalism, but still has a long way to go to achieve the ideal.
Many spectators of the Grand Prix don't even drive Hi Loh, Can't agree more with what you have said. And professional Badminton players should now be aware that, not only they be great athletes, but also they have the duty to entertain us with their great display of skills. I still think that the main prize money will come from the 'entertainment side' of the Sports. For example, many spectators of the Grand Prix don't even drive. Cheers... chris@ccc
maybe the better word is "individualism", if such a word exists. individual as oppose to national. similar to what happens to tennis, where each player plays for themselves and not neccessarily for the country.
how many badminton players could make a living by playing badminton if it were not for extra funding from national bodies?
We could have more individualism, rather than nationalism Hi Neil Nicholls, I am seriously hoping that Taufik Hidayat, our BBB (Badminton Bad Boy ), could be our first player to break away from National Associations. With his decision not to participate in the All England 2007 to protest against PBSI, I am hoping that KL Racquet Club could come in to ask him to play not for Indonesia, but for KLRC. Like what kwun have posted, we could have more individualism, rather than nationalism. Cheers... chris@ccc
This post attempts to illustrate the point of why sponsorship is so important especially when the sport does not command popular support. Despite the fact that the Singapore Open (1st week of May) has been in existence for a long time, we still need strong support from sponsors, Aviva being the most generous. As such, the 'early bird' season ticket (now available through internet) for adults is only 18 Sing Dollars! Relatively cheap compared to elsewhere so that more fans can come and watch instead of staying at home glued to the TV. At this stage of its development, the Singapore Open cannot rely on gate receipts alone to even break even. The world's top 20 players may be around to demonstrate their skills, yet this is insufficient! But with Aviva's and other minor sponsors' support, money can be spent on publicising the event through the various media, the ticket charges are kept affordable and many more can turn up to make the event a success. In return Aviva's name and it's insurance business are getting the publicity that it deserves and I'm sure it's sales must have improved quite significantly. It is increasingly important to ensure that the success of any organized sports event has good sponsorship (for the organizers), commercial endorsement for the professional players and reasonable ticket charges. But to make the event more wholesome, not only must there be entertainment value but there must be the supporting facilities/amenities to make it even more enjoyable and satisfying. Therefore, in our latest brainstorming for a "perfect" Sports Hub to replace the National Stadium at Kallang, the Sports Council has included the most important item "food" in the sports menu. There must be food courts, restaurants, alfresco dining, retail outlets, activities for the young and old, etc, within and around the stadiums to cater to the varied tastes and interests. Yes sports is entertainment and therefore the setting and ambience must be such that people of all ages will be happy to come and patronize the events there!
This is particularly true for players in the West or even in Japan and Korea. They wouldn't be quitting their day jobs yet!
I agree. In Singapore's case the SBA is one of a few national sports associations which gets a generous grant from Singapore Pools (a lottery monopoly) for being able to set out a blueprint for the sport and for being successful in certain areas, one of which is winning honours for the country. But the amount of grant varies annually according to performance and the proper running of the organization. Therefore, it is good that other bodies such as private clubs like the KL Racquets Club can join in the fray and compete for glory. But how many such clubs can be in a strong financial position to do so withou sponsors of some kind? It will be ideal if eventually, players can participate as individuals and not be constrained by their national bodies or countries' prohibitions. I suppose if this happens, badminton will edge closer to its much richer cousin, tennis. With the present setup and prize monies, it seems very difficult to break away on one's own. For then a professional player will need to find his own sources of funding his career. Maybe we have to watch TH closely and see how he does it, if at all.
Taufik Hidayat is now an independent professional player . And it happened on Friday 30-Jan-2009: click here .
