The Badminton World Federation (BWF) are pushing hard for the new scoring format of 5x11 to be implemented at their upcoming Annual General Meeting on May 22.
In a detailed document made available on their website, the world body highlighted the key objectives of this proposed change, including "building suspense quicker, increasing excitement in matches, and shortening the length of matches to optimise television broadcast and protect the well-being of players."
The BWF also said they invested heavily in an in-depth statistical analysis of this scoring system designed to create more and quicker key-point situations, showing 5x11 as the preferred option.
The governing body had also pushed for this new scoring system back in 2018, but back then a majority of players were skeptical about the change and had reservations whether this change would be right for badminton.
“It is only natural to resist change when you are a top performer under the current system. We are convinced, however, that the champions of today will also be champions under the newly-proposed system.
“This change is very unlikely to alter who wins or loses. However, the new scoring system will require players to be even more focused from the start of matches,” explained the BWF in a detailed frequently asked questions document.
Several shuttlers, both national and international, backed the 5x11 this time around.
Mixed doubles ace Goh Liu Ying previously told Stadium Astro that 5x11 would suit the more experienced players, who could be poised to handle pressure cooker situations better in fast exchanges.
Lee Zii Jia and Indonesia’s world number two pairing of Hendra Setiawan-Mohammad Ahsan were also in support, saying it would help maintain their stamina in shorter rallies.
The All-Indonesia Badminton Association and Badminton Association of Maldives mooted for the change this time around, and it was seconded by the Badminton Asia, Badminton Korea Association and Chinese Taipei Badminton Association.
If the 5x11 gets a two-thirds majority for the change to be enforced, it will most likely kick in in January next year.
The present 3x21 scoring system has been around since 2006.
