Source: REUTERS/Issei Kato
[Saba Sports News] Recently, former Malaysian national player Datuk James Selvaraj expressed his opinion in an interview, calling on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) to restore the badminton world championships to a biennial format to regain its former glory. According to records, the first badminton world championships were held every three years starting in 1977; they changed to every two years from 1983. However, since 2005, the world championships have been held annually except in Olympic years. According to James, the event has lost its representative status and no longer excites people as it once did—it is now seen as just another regular competition. He believes it should carry the same prestige and status as the Olympics. James further explained his views, stating that if only two world championships are held within a four-year Olympic cycle, the focus would be more concentrated, and top players would face less physical and mental pressure. This would help reduce the stress of qualifying for the event and lower the risk of injury. Currently, players are forced to compete frequently just to qualify for the world championships, which ends up harming the sport itself.