'We hope for the players' support': BWF on India Open in Delhi pollution
BWF secretary general Thomas Lund defends the India Open's February scheduling despite Delhi's pollution concerns, urges players to support the calendar and outlines the sport's plans for a 15-point scoring system, greater technology use and synthetic shuttlecocks.
Delhi’s air quality tends to deteriorate during the month of February, which is when the upcoming India Open is scheduled to take place. Despite the concerns raised by Danish player Anders Antonsen, BWF Secretary General Thomas Lund reassured the players that they should support the current calendar. He acknowledged the logistical challenges involved but assured them that conditions were expected to improve by the time of the tournament.
Lund also announced that the 15-point format will be implemented from January 4, 2027, replacing the traditional 21-point system. While some players and coaches voiced concerns about the change, Lund explained that it was an evolution in the sport aimed at reducing the physical load on players and maintaining the champions. He highlighted that statistical simulations suggest the new format would not significantly alter the champions but might contribute to closer matches, which could be an advantage for the sport.
Regarding the impact of other sports like padel and pickleball, Lund stated that they were not a major influence on the changes being made to badminton. The focus remained on improving badminton's appeal and performance in key markets, particularly in countries where the sport was already popular or becoming more mainstream.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
