BWF secretary general Thomas Lund
PETALING JAYA: The Badminton World Federation (BWF) will introduce two new formats at the BWF World Junior Championships in Guwahati, India this October to make the competition more exciting for both players and fans.
In partnership with the Badminton Association of India (BAI), the BWF have confirmed that a new relay system will be used in the mixed team event, while a fresh scoring format will be tested in the individual events.
The team event will feature a best-of-three games format, with each game played up to 45 points. Each set will consist of five matches, namely men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles.
A version of the relay system was first tried at the 2024 World Junior Mixed Team Championships in China, where it received mixed feedback. BWF have since made improvements based on that feedback.
In the individual events, a 3x15 scoring system will be use and this is part of the BWF’s ongoing testing programme to explore new formats for the future.
Both changes were approved at the BWF Annual General Meeting held in Xiamen, China, in April.
BWF secretary general Thomas Lund sees the introduction of the new format as part of the federation’s push to modernise badminton by making the game more exciting for fans, without compromising the well-being of the players.
"It is essential that this process remains inclusive and well-informed, with any future decision guided by evidence, wide consultation, and what is in the best interest of badminton worldwide.
"That’s why it is necessary to test such innovations in live tournament settings and it is great that we have the endorsement and backing from our member in India and the city of Guwahati who share the same vision as us," said Lund.
To ensure all teams gain a better understanding of the new formats, virtual workshops will be held for team managers and coaches ahead of the World Junior Championships.
In addition, BWF will also carry out stakeholder surveys and analyse key match data to guide future decisions regarding the implementation of the new formats.
