PETALING JAYA: Badminton's world governing body (BWF) have approved an interim ban on the new 'spin serve' at all their international tournaments until further consultation at their annual general meeting later this month.
The amendment to the laws of the sport now states that the server should release the shuttle "without adding spin" as the BWF look to improve rallies after the spin serve proved to be tough to return or completely unplayable.
The serve was first tried at the Polish Open in March.
The ban will be in place for tournaments such as the Sudirman Cup in Fuzhou, China and the Malaysian Masters the following week."BWF welcome players creating innovation in our game and experimenting with techniques to create competitive advantage on court," said president Poul-Erik Hoyer in a statement.
"However, we have received several points of feedback from within the badminton community, including the Athletes' Commission, expressing that this 'spin serve' could have a negative impact on the game.
"An expert panel, therefore, recommended to disallow the 'spin serve' until further consultation could take place with the membership at the upcoming AGM on May 27."
Any attempt at using the spin serve will now be deemed a fault.
Hoyer said the spin serve was similar to the 'Sidek serve' which was banned after the technique -- which involved slicing the shuttle across its feathers -- created an uproar in the early 1980s.
"BWF also wanted to avoid a scenario where the upcoming Sudirman Cup and other international tournaments could be platforms to test the new 'spin serve' and ultimately disrupt the competitions," Hoyer added. — Reuters
