The scoring system of 3x21 is set to remain after the proposed 5x11 narrowly missed out on the two-thirds majority needed at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) 82nd Annual General Meeting on Saturday.
The proposal initiated by the Indonesian Badminton Association and Badminton Association of Maldives received 66.31% in favour with 33.69% against, with 282 votes cast in total.
This ultimately meant it missed out by a whisker.
This was the second time the 5x11 proposal did not get the two-thirds majority, having also missed out in 2018.
“BWF respects the outcome to retain the three games to 21 points scoring system. It is now the second time the proposal has not been approved, but the decision reached today is an indication the badminton community is engaged in the best interest of the sport during these difficult and challenging times,” said BWF president Poul Erik Hoyer.
In a detailed document released by BWF earlier this week, it highlighted the key points of the change, including building suspense quicker, increasing excitement in matches, and shortening length of matches to optimize television broadcast and protect the well-being of players.
Hoyer was also re-elected unopposed as the world body chief for the 2021-2025 term, along with Para Badminton deputy president KhunyingPatama Leeswadtrakul and vice president Paul Kurzo.
Meanwhile, Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) general-secretary Kenny Goh was elected as BWF council member.
