Use of synthetic shuttles could broaden badminton’s appeal

THE recent announcement by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) under the proactive leadership of Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen that synthetic shuttles will be used for all badminton tournaments from 2021 is welcomed. The sport has long been hampered by the high price of the goose feather shuttles.

Efforts decades ago to create synthetic shuttles did not meet the standard required and the products were used mainly in training children. But with new technology and innovation, synthetic shuttles can be mass produced, making them more affordable to a larger number of people. Badminton is an expensive sport because of the price of good quality shuttles.