Source:REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis
[Saba Sports News] Recently, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) announced a new competition system, which has aroused widespread concern among players. The core of the reform is the upgrade of top-tier tournaments: an additional event has been added, and each tournament has been significantly extended to span two weekends, making it extremely time-consuming.
The competition format has also been adjusted, with singles events adopting a group stage plus knockout stage system similar to the Olympic Games, resulting in much higher overall intensity than before. Many players have complained that they will have to compete almost non-stop throughout the year, which could harm their professional careers in the long run.
However, the new system is undoubtedly good news for fans. They will be able to watch more matches between top players in a year, no longer having to wait long for exciting confrontations. Moreover, the weekend-spanning schedule will greatly boost viewership.
In my opinion, the number of mandatory tournaments should be reduced to allow players more rest time. If players suffer more injuries and match quality declines in the long term, it will ultimately hurt the sport of badminton as a whole.