BEIJING, Dec. 17,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Badminton World Federation
(BWF) has encountered issues this year over how to best maintain
players' health and well-being on the court. Thomas Lund, BWF secretary-general, exhibited a
proactive attitude toward solving this issue during an exclusive
interview with the Global Times.
In early December, two-time Olympic men's singles champion
Viktor Axelsen took swipes at the
BWF for not showing enough support to athletes' health.
Axelsen was forced to withdraw from the World Tour Finals due to
injury but he faced a fine from the BWF.
The BWF required his "medical documents, if any, or any other
supporting documents to seek a waiver of the penalty for not
playing in the World Tour Finals," according to an email which
Axelsen shared on social media.
"As a top committed player, it's mandatory to play in the World
Tour Finals should a player qualify for the World Tour Finals," the
BWF said in the email.
In response to the issue, Lund told the Global Times that
athletes' health and well-being are the priorities.
"If a player is physically not able to travel, for example in
cases of very serious injury, the BWF will issue an exemption from
not participating, and no further consequences apply," Lund told
the Global Times in an exclusive interview.
"Only in cases where a player is medically capable of traveling
but decides not to appear and participate in the minimum
media/commercial activities to support the tournament, will the
player be charged $5,000 for
non-participation," he said.
Axelsen ultimately showed up in Hangzhou in a promotional event for the World
Tour Finals held at the iconic West Lake, a UNESCO World Heritage
Site, on Saturday.
"To safeguard the players, the BWF leaves it entirely up to each
player to decide if they can play or not, and, therefore, there are
no obligations to force them to play. The BWF recognizes that
players should not in any way be forced to play with an injury,"
Lund said.
First aid
The tragic passing of Chinese junior player Zhang during
competition in Indonesia in June
prompted a critical evaluation of the BWF's emergency
protocols.
Speaking on this matter, Lund said the BWF initiated an urgent
review of its Medical Emergency Intervention Protocols that led to
the empowerment of medical staff to immediately enter the court and
provide first aid in cases of suspected cardiac arrest or
concussion with blackout, without requiring direction from the
referee.
The updates were approved by the BWF Council on November 9 and took effect immediately, Lund
said, before adding that the BWF has begun exploring further
measures, including potential new first aid protocols and
guidelines for the education of tournament personnel.
At the World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, medical equipment such as AED has
been put in place on the sidelines of the court, the Global Times
has found.
"We have also encouraged member associations to conduct regular
health monitoring of athletes within high-performance structures as
a proactive step in safeguarding player health," Lund said.
"We again express our deepest condolences to Zhang Zhijie's
family, as well as to his teammates, the Chinese Badminton
Association, and the entire Chinese badminton community," he
added.
Great cooperation
Hangzhou will continue to host
the World Tour Finals in 2025 and 2026, while Xiamen in East China's Fujian Province will host the mixed team
competition Sudirman Cup in 2025.
China's status as a badminton
powerhouse is well-documented, as the national team has won 22
Olympic gold medals since badminton made its debut as an Olympic
medal event in 1992.
Generations of legendary badminton players such as Lin Dan, Chen
Long, Zhang Ning, and Li
Xuerui have been household names.
Along with the fervent fan support in badminton competitions
and a culture that embraces the sport from the grassroot to elite
level, it has made China an
indispensable partner for the BWF, Lund said.
"We are always very happy to bring our BWF major championships
to China and we have great
cooperation with the Chinese Badminton Association and the various
local governments to deliver successful badminton tournaments,"
Lund told the Global Times.
"It's essential we maintain badminton's relevance and popularity
in China for years to come," Lund
noted.
Innovating for future
As the BWF seeks to expand its global reach through badminton,
it is also exploring ways to modernize the sport and engage younger
audiences.
Innovations include the development of automated service fault
detection and time clock functionality to streamline gameplay, with
plans to roll out the former by 2025.
The BWF is also leveraging social media to captivate the
attention of younger generations. Lund elaborated on the
strategy.
"We're currently partnering with other influential publishers
and talent to help drive this new traction for us. Our point of
engagement with the younger fans is more authentic and caters to
their consumption habits and preferences."
Efforts like AirBadminton and collaborations with content
creators aim to make badminton more accessible and appealing
worldwide, Lund said.
"We know that we can't do all promotional and engagement
initiatives ourselves, and we can't expect to have a strong
footprint everywhere in the world immediately," Lund said.
"Our core mission is to get as many people to play badminton for
life ... But we are confident our development systems and grassroot
programs are robust enough to attract new players."
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SOURCE Global Times