Source:REUTERS/Carlos Perez Gallardo
[Saba Sports News] In the men’s singles quarter-finals of the Super 300 series German Helo Badminton Open, Chinese Taipei player CHOU Tien-Chen lost to Danish star Rasmus Gemke with scores of 13-21, 20-22, failing to reach the semi-finals. A small incident occurred in the second game when Chou was leading 18-16, and both players engaged in a fierce battle for crucial points. When Chou received a smash at a low position, the main referee suddenly ruled that the shuttlecock had landed, indicating that Chou had committed a fault, awarding a point directly to Gemke. Chou immediately raised his hand to signal his dissent, and the service judge also reminded the main referee that he had not violated any rules. However, after the chief referee intervened in the discussion, the main referee insisted on his decision and did not order a replay of the point. This outrageous decision severely affected Chou’s mentality and the final outcome of the match. After the match, Chou posted on Instagram questioning the referee, asking whether the main referee’s reputation was more important than making the correct call. He pointed out that players should not always bear the brunt of unfair decisions. Additionally, Chou called on the Badminton World Federation to increase investment in referee training and equipment updates, such as introducing video assistant referee technology to reduce misjudgments.