PETALING JAYA: National doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky has urged badminton's major nations to push for changes to the Badminton World Federation's (BWF) medical regulations following Toh Ee Wei's injury ordeal at the Singapore Open.
Rexy's frustration resurfaced after the mixed doubles world champion was unable to receive what he felt was adequate treatment when she injured her left knee during her quarter-final match against India's Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto at Singapore Open last week.
Although medical personnel attended to Ee Wei, she was forced to bandage her injured knee herself with the help of partner Chen Tang Jie.
She initially attempted to continue the match but was eventually unable to withstand the pain and retired before being wheeled off the court.
Subsequent medical examinations revealed that she had suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
For Rexy, the incident highlighted shortcomings in the BWF's medical regulations, particularly when players suffer injuries during matches.
He believes it is time for other badminton powerhouses to join Malaysia in voicing their concerns if meaningful changes are to be made.
"I think there is no point if I'm the only one speaking up about this. I think countries like China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Denmark also need to speak up about it. It's about how players are taken care of during tournaments, especially when it comes to injuries or anything that happens on court.
"There are simply too many rules. From what I see, it looks like they are taking care of the players, but in reality, they are not. When a player gets injured or twists an ankle slightly, they will try to get treatment on court, whether it is a spray or something else. It feels like the rules are not on the players' side," said Rexy.
What concerns Rexy even more is that the regulations were updated by the BWF just two years ago, yet he believes they still do not adequately protect players who suffer injuries during matches.
As such, he suggested that badminton could adopt an approach similar to football, where a team's own medical staff are allowed onto the field to treat injured players.
"If you look at football, the team's own medic and physiotherapist can come onto the field to attend to the player. But in badminton, if a player gets injured, that's it. Either they take a wheelchair or they retire from the match.
"They say they are taking care of players through measures such as the scoring system to reduce fatigue and prevent players from getting too tired. But when it comes to what actually happens on court, I don't see that players are being taken care of," he added.
