Poll: Getting badminton from point to point

Plenty of readers have commented recently about some of the things that go on between points in today’s world-class badminton matches.  Some seem to think badminton players’ movements are being policed too strictly.  Others seem to feel that star players are sometimes unsporting or taking too long.  We’d like to get your opinion.

Photos: Badmintonphoto

The past year has seen some new developments in terms of what happens on badminton courts.  We’ve seen players warned or reprimanded for flicking perspiration onto the mats.  We’ve seen yellow cards being shown to players who hug their coaches before shaking hand with opponents and officials.  A World Champion was penalized one point for talking to a coach before scooting the shuttle under the net.

Often players seem to be repeatedly warned that they will receive yellow cards – in effect warned that they will be warned.  It is also rare to see players faulted on a serve and simply acknowledge the service judge’s hand signal, without insisting on approaching said judge for confirmation, a move that some interpret as a form of intimidation.  In one incident last year, some viewers created a petition calling for a player to be disciplined after being caught on camera urging a service judge to visit a third country to purchase spectacles.

While we do not have statistics on average match duration or on average time between points, the Badminton World Federation did report that average match length increased markedly between 2006 and 2013.  It could be argued that officials’ efforts to keep play continuous have prevented further lengthening.

We invite you to cast your vote in response to our two poll questions below and to elaborate on your answers in the comment section at the bottom of the article.

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