Shuttlecock war hurts Olympic status

Shuttlecock war hurts Olympic status

Richard Eaton, Agence France-Presse, Birmingham, England

One of the father figures of professional badminton has claimed that a battle of power between Europe and Asia is threatening the sport's Olympic status.

Tom Bacher issued the warning on Sunday just hours before he was voted out as vice president of the International Badminton Federation.

He was replaced by former world champion Rudy Hartono of Indonesia.

Bacher, who helped badminton make it into the Olympics 11 years ago, said: "Europe feels that Asia is trying to dominate.

"If Asia gets its way all the time, just kicking people out of the IBF council, then the council will be too weak and not able to contribute and keep the game in the Olympic program."

The Dane justified his sense of foreboding by alleging that the removal of himself and other Europeans from the council would mean the loss of more than 50 years of experience.

And the decision to put forward candidates to oppose vice presidents like him seeking re-election has "never happened in the history of the IBF," he claimed.

In contrast to Hartono another Asian candidate for the vice president elections Raj Gaya, the council's African representative from Mauritius, withdrew his name before the vote.

Bacher is concerned that European influence on the IBF council could be eroded altogether.

"History says vice presidents are people who have devoted many years work to the IBF, but Asia believes that all continents should have a vice president and that it matters where people come from.

"Asia could have the presidency (Korn Dabbaransi of Thailand) and three vice presidents, while Africa, Pan-America, Europe and Oceania would have one each. That's the way Asia believes it should be. I believe there should be a better balance."

Asian leaders point out that most of leading players, a majority of leading tournaments, much of the television and many of the sponsors, come from Asia.

But insiders within the IBF have even suggested Europe could consider breaking away if the power struggle continues to go against it.

European nations, supported by Australia and Canada and the European Badminton Union, recently fought a winning battle to throw out a new scoring system, imposed by the IBF council, which they considered to discriminate against women.

It was followed by Thailand withdrawing from the Sudirman Cup world team championships in Eindhoven, Holland, in March, alleging that the draw had been improperly made, and then by the SARS-related postponement of the world championships in Birmingham in May, despite the British Ministry of Health pronouncing it safe to proceed.

Three decades ago the sport was divided into two governing bodies, delaying its bid to join the Olympic movement.

"One of the issues we had at that stage (in the 1970s) was our Olympic inclusion and I am absolutely certain that we would have made our debut earlier but for that," reckoned Bacher.

"I would not draw a parallel with when the game was split - that's premature. But if we don't work together we may risk our Olympic status and that would be disastrous."

Badminton, which has nearly 150 nations affiliated to its governing body, made a successful Olympic debut at Barcelona in 1992. For the first five days before the athletics began, it achieved higher international television viewing figures than any other sport - most of them in Asia.