PETALING JAYA: The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) have opted to keep their stance under wraps ahead of the April 25 vote on the proposed 15x3 scoring system.
BAM secretary general Datuk Kenny Goh said the association have taken note of the announcement made by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Thursday (Feb 12).
As such, BAM will hold further internal discussions to gather more collective feedback from players and coaches.
This will also include input from state affiliates under BAM.
"For BAM, before we go to the BWF annual general meeting, we will likely hold internal discussions with the players and coaches before making a decision," said Kenny.
As one of the powerhouses in the badminton world, BAM will have five votes at the upcoming BWF annual general meeting that will be held in Horsens, Denmark, during the Thomas-Uber Cup Finals.
Kenny acknowledged that BWF have been testing the 15x3 points system since last year, but noted that most of the tournaments using the new format were lower tier grade three events.
The Malaysian International Challenge held in Ipoh last August was also among the tournaments selected to trial the 3x15 system.
However, he personally remains uncertain about its effectiveness at the elite level, although he understands the rationale behind BWF’s proposal, which appears to be driven largely by commercial and broadcast considerations.
"I can understand why BWF are proposing this. Maybe it is more about television content and broadcast time. When matches are shorter, they may be more viewer friendly.
"According to BWF’s studies, with 15 points, the exciting moments can come quicker compared to now, where sometimes you have to wait until 17 all. They also say recovery time is faster and that it is more player friendly.
"For me personally, it is difficult to say whether the 15 point system is suitable because the trials were mainly conducted at lower level tournaments. They have never tested it at the highest level," he added.
