PETALING JAYA: National badminton coach Nova Armada said a change in the rule regarding the service in badminton could cause problems for some players.
According to the new rule made by the Badminton World Federation (BWF), shuttlers will not be allowed to dilly-dally when it comes to the service and umpires have the power to penalise players - both serving and receiving - for wasting time.
“What if some players need the extra time? Sure, some are also using it as a trick to gain an advantage, but BWF can’t just change the rules because of that,’’ said Nova. “They have to see the conditions out on the court before deciding to penalise players.”
The BWF, however, stated: “The Laws of Badminton, Clause 9.1.1, state that neither side shall cause undue delay to the delivery of the service once the server and receiver are ready for the service.
“This means that once players are in a position to serve and receive, any excessive delay is undue delay, whether it is a player holding their hand up indicating they are not ready, standing in a position ready to serve and doing nothing, or the side-to-side motion.
“Umpires may call servers or receivers for these types of undue delays in upcoming tournaments, using their best judgment.”
