Source: Sipa USA/Sydney
[Saba Sports News] In 2022, badminton player Sarah Wild’s coach told her that she had reached a professional level and asked if she would like to start participating in international badminton competitions. Since she was introduced to badminton at a local gym, Wild has been playing for over five hours every day. Being invited to participate in higher-level competitions made Wild feel honored; however, when she was told that she had to switch to using animal feather shuttlecocks to compete, Wild decided to leave the sport forever. It turns out that Wild is a vegan and has been vegetarian for six years. She was unwilling to use animal feather shuttlecocks for competition and had always used plastic shuttlecocks instead. Shortly after, Wild launched an initiative called the “Duck Feather Removal Project,” aimed at eliminating animal feathers from badminton. Each shuttlecock is made of 16 overlapping feathers attached to a cork base, which is also covered with a thin layer of leather. Animal feather shuttlecocks are single-use items that can easily get damaged during matches, typically requiring replacement every two to four points. This means that a large number of shuttlecocks are used in a single match. Wild hopes that the Badminton World Federation will completely eliminate animal feather shuttlecocks before the 2028 Olympics.