Indonesia rejects new scoring system
Indonesia rejects new scoring system
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia will never approve any plans to change the scoring system of badminton, the Secretary-general of the Badminton Association of Indonesia RAJ Gosal said yesterday.
He said that changing the established best-of-three games system was unfeasible because it would uproot the overall makeup of the sport.
"Badminton with its current scoring system remains an attractive game. Why should we change a pattern which has survived 60 years?" Gosal said.
Gosal was commenting on the shortened best-of-five games system which was adopted as an experiment in the Dutch Open grand prix tournament in Den Bosch, the Netherlands, which concluded Sunday.
Instead of playing best-of-three 15-point games in the men's singles and best-of-three 11-point games in the women's singles, best-of-five nine-point games were played in both singles events in the Dutch Open. The new system is similar to the scoring system applied in squash.
China's young gun Sun Jun won the men's singles crown after beating Olympic champion Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen of Denmark 5-9, 9-3, 9-3, 9-5. Yao Yan completed a Chinese double with the women's singles title after a straight-set 9-2, 9-2, 9-0 win over compatriot Han Jingna.
Gosal said that, according to its decision to oppose the new scoring system, Indonesia did not send any players to the Dutch Open.
The new system was first proposed two years ago by Norway, a European badminton minnow, in a bid to attract more sponsorship to the sport. According to the proposal, the scoring system gives sponsors more breaks in which they can advertise.
But Gosal argued they need not change the basic system to attract more sponsors.
"There are many sponsors now, ranging from sports equipment companies to automotive companies, who can introduce their brands on players' clothing and accessories," he said.
Indonesian shuttlers earn hundreds of millions of rupiah annually from sponsors. A number of cigarette companies regularly provide funding to the badminton association for tournaments or provincial training programs.
Gosal suggested that a half-time break be introduced within sets to give advertisers more air time. "There are many ways to attract sponsors without sacrificing our principles," he said. (amd)