Source:REUTERS/MOHD RASFAN
[Saba Sports News] In the men’s doubles final of the China Badminton Open held last Sunday, the match was between Malaysian pair Goh Szefei/Nur Izzuddin Rumsani and Chinese pair Ren Xiangyu/He Jiting. During the match, Ren Xiangyu injured his back just before the end of the first game, and the referee allowed medical personnel from the Chinese team to enter the court to treat him. This decision sparked controversy because according to Badminton World Federation (BWF) rules, only medical personnel appointed by the tournament are allowed to treat players during matches. In response, Malaysian national team director Rexy Mainaky stated that the referee’s decision was unfair and affected the final outcome of the match. However, Rexy called on BWF to review its rules regarding player treatment, arguing that national team medical personnel should be allowed to participate in treating their country’s players during matches. Some fans expressed that due to the unfortunate death of 17-year-old Chinese men’s singles player Zhang Zhijie at the Asian Youth Championships in Indonesia, BWF learned from this experience and worried that if experts were not allowed to treat Ren Xiangyu, his condition might worsen.