KUALA LUMPUR • A proposal to change the scoring system to best of five games of 11 points from the current best of three games of 21 points will be on the agenda of the 82nd Badminton World Federation (BWF) annual general meeting (AGM) on May 22, the sport's world governing body said yesterday.
Different proposals from the membership will be discussed during the AGM, most notably a proposal from Badminton Indonesia and Badminton Maldives, seconded by Badminton Asia, to amend the laws relating to the scoring system, said the BWF.
The BWF council has taken forward this proposal, with the membership voting on it next month.
BWF president Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen also welcomed the proposal.
The former Danish ace said: "The proposed scoring system change is part of my vision to make badminton more exciting and to increase the entertainment value for stakeholders and fans.
"The last time this topic was tabled did resonate with a significant section of our membership with a narrow verdict met. We concede the timing was not right back then but I'm pleased to see this being driven by the membership once more."
When he won the men's singles gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, a best of three games of 15 points was used but points could only be earned by the server. If the receiver won a point, that shuttler would earn the right to serve.
That system meant the duration of matches were unpredictable and often long. Changes to the scoring system were made in 2002 and 2005, and the latest potential change is a bid to make the sport more attractive to the audiences and reduce the length of matches.
Larsen said the proposal, if adopted this time, will come into force only after the Tokyo Olympics.
"This is only proposed to be introduced after the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. So, I'm confident this is a more favourable time to affect this change," he said.
The AGM will also elect three positions on the executive board - president, deputy president, and vice-president of para badminton - as well as to determine 20 council positions.
Elections will be conducted virtually using electronic voting systems, said the BWF.
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