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Kumar called on Badminton World Federation to retain the existing 21-point, best-of-three scoring system, arguing that it best reflects the true nature of the sport.
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Former India chief coach Vimal Kumar has urged the Badminton World Federation to retain the existing 21-point, best-of-three scoring system, arguing that it best reflects the true nature of the sport.
Vimal, who also serves as Director of the Centre for Badminton Excellence, stressed that repeated changes have already unsettled the game.
The BWF has proposed changing the format to 3×15 from the current 3×21, with members set to vote on the proposal at its Annual General Meeting in Horsens, Denmark, on April 25.
“This is real badminton and this needs to be preserved. Now BWF is thinking about reducing the scoring format and fiddling with the scores and such things for commercial reasons. That is not real badminton,” Vimal said.
“I hope they take note of this and preserve it, at least in big events, because badminton is a tough sport. They need to understand it.”
Drawing parallels with other major sports, the 63-year-old lead coach at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru questioned why badminton needs such a change.
“See, whether it is golf or motorsports or football, they go on for three hours, five hours, and they have never diluted it. Hockey has never diluted it. Basketball has not diluted it.”
Emphasising badminton’s worldwide popularity, Vimal added, “Badminton is a sport that is widely watched. It has a big following in China, Indonesia, India and other places. So why do these few people think that it needs to be shortened and they want all the five events to get over in three hours — men’s, women’s, women’s doubles, everything?”
“They’ve already been fiddling with it for so many years. Badminton is a technical and a physical sport. So it should be… at least this 21 format is working really well and that should be preserved. So that is my biggest appeal.”
Last month, London Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal also urged the BWF to be cautious about altering the scoring system, asserting that the current 21-point format safeguards the sport’s intensity and demands on endurance.
Vimal’s remarks came in the backdrop of Ayush Shetty’s stunning semifinal victory over top seed and defending champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn at the Badminton Asia Championships, a win that has put the young Indian on the brink of creating history.
Delighted with Ayush becoming the first Indian men’s singles player since Dinesh Khanna in 1965 to enter the final of the continental event, Vimal credited a collaborative coaching structure for the youngster’s progress.
“At the academy, he works under Sagar Chopda, our head coach. What we have done is we have also taken Irwansyah’s help. He has also been helping him in the last two weeks. I think that combination is really working well for Ayush,” he said.
“This is something every coach must realize and understand. I don’t want any coach to think that they can handle a player from cradle to grave. That’s not the right way of thinking.
“So, in the academy, we are trying these things out. I think Ayush is an example. He’s showing the right improvement in that aspect. I would give a lot of credit to both these coaches, Sagar and Irwansyah for Ayush’s success. But again it is just a start. I feel he has a long way to go.”
When asked if Ayush currently has the best attacking game, Vimal replied: “I would say Lin Chun-Li has the best attack but Ayush also has an equally better attack. Because he is also like Viktor Axelsen.
“When I sent him a couple of years back to Dubai to practice, Viktor messaged me saying that he reminds him of his younger days. So Ayush also learned a lot over there in that two weeks.
“Ayush’s attack is something very similar to the attack of Viktor because he is also tall,” he concluded.
(With Inputs From Agencies)
April 11, 2026, 8:02 PM IST
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