2 months ago
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Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal has urged the Badminton World Federation (BWF) to workout caution regarding projected scoring changes, maintaining that the existent 21-point strategy preserves the sport's indispensable strength and endurance.
The game's governing assemblage (BWF) has projected switching to a 3x15 scoring format from the existent 3x21 system, with a rank ballot connected the alteration scheduled astatine the BWF Annual General Meeting successful Horsens, Denmark connected April 25.
"Badminton has a affluent tradition, and tournaments similar the All England Open Badminton Championships and the BWF World Championships person ever been peculiar due to the fact that of their strength and endurance factor," Saina, who joined the advisory committee of India's International Movement to Unite Nations (I.I.M.U.N.), told PTI successful an interview.
"Any alteration successful scoring oregon format should beryllium cautiously considered. The existent 21-point strategy has worked good and players person adapted to it implicit galore years.
"If changes are introduced, they should guarantee that the prime of rallies and the competitory equilibrium of the athletics are not affected. At the extremity of the day, the absorption should stay connected just contention and the tone of the game." According to the revamped BWF World Tour, the 5 Super 1000 tournaments, to beryllium staged crossed Asia and Europe, volition present a caller format successful singles, with 48 players competing successful a radical signifier followed by knockouts.
Doubles events volition diagnostic 32-pair knockout draws, and each Super 1000 tourney volition tally for 11 days crossed 2 weekends.
Saina feels the BWF needs to prioritise subordinate welfare, saying the packed planetary calendar leaves small country for betterment and tin pb to injuries and burnout among elite shuttlers.
"Badminton is ever a precise pugnacious athletics some physically and mentally. The rallies are longer, the velocity of the crippled is higher, and players are competing successful tournaments astir each week.
"The Badminton World Federation has tried to operation the calendar, but from a player's perspective, betterment clip is highly important. Injuries and fatigue tin impact show and besides shorten careers.
"I consciousness the docket should let amended betterment periods betwixt large tournaments, and teams should person much enactment for sports subject and rehabilitation."
Lakshya has quality and mindset, All England rubric is not acold away
Last week, Lakshya Sen finished runner-up astatine the All England Open aft going down to Chinese Taipei's Lin Chun-Yi successful the men's singles final, repeating his near-miss astatine the tourney aft finishing 2nd successful 2022.
Praising Lakshya for his consistency connected the large stage, Saina said: "First of all, reaching the last of All England Open Badminton Championships doubly is simply a large achievement. It's 1 of the astir prestigious tournaments successful badminton and the level determination is ever highly high.
"Consistency astatine that signifier shows that Lakshya is doing galore things right. Sometimes successful sport, the quality betwixt winning and finishing runner-up is conscionable a fewer points oregon moments of composure. If a subordinate keeps reaching those stages, it usually means the rubric is not acold away.
"So I would accidental it's a precise affirmative sign. It shows helium has the quality and the mindset to vie with the champion successful the world," added the 2015 All England runner-up.
The 35-year-old from Hyderabad is besides impressed with the show of young Indian shuttlers but said carnal strength, lucifer temperament and tactical consciousness remains cardinal to consistency.
"Consistency astatine the apical level comes from fitness, subject and intelligence toughness implicit galore years. Players request to support their level crossed the full season, not conscionable successful a fewer tournaments," said the erstwhile satellite No. 1.
"When PV Sindhu and I were competing regularly, the absorption was ever connected preparation, betterment and staying bare to improve.
"For the existent generation, the cardinal is to support improving their carnal strength, lucifer temperament and tactical consciousness truthful they tin execute consistently successful the biggest tournaments." Explaining her determination to subordinate with I.I.M.U.N, Saina, a two-time Commonwealth Games champion, said: "I've ever believed that sports teaches values similar discipline, enactment and resilience, which are besides important successful life.
"Being portion of India's International Movement to Unite Nations (I.I.M.U.N.) is peculiar due to the fact that it gives young radical a level to deliberation globally, make enactment skills and explicit their ideas confidently.
"If my travel tin animate young students to judge successful themselves and enactment hard toward their goals, I consciousness that would beryllium a meaningful contribution."
