BWF World C’ships: Sport moving to plastic shuttles despite pollution concerns

Badminton World Federation officials are considering switching to plastic shuttlecocks for future tournaments, despite concerns over environmental impact. During a promotional event, former European champion Marvin Seidel tried out synthetic and hybrid shuttles in mixed doubles play and found them acceptable, admitting they made sounds differently and could be adjusted for spin.

Seidel also noted that the shortage of feather shuttles last summer and their cost spike were man-made crises, possibly due to monopolies. The German badminton federation approved of plastic shuttles earlier this year. The German Open featured a triple format demonstration on semifinal day, but plastic shuttles are not yet widely available, raising doubts about their long-term adoption.

The Badminton World Federation has invited 16 secondary sponsors for the upcoming Badminton World Championships in India, leading to manual switches of boards between games to accommodate sponsor names on rotating triangular boards.