By Duncan Mackay

Badminton instant review systemJune 3 - A plan by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) to introduce an instant review system this month has been postponed while more tests are carried out.


It was planned to introduce the new system at the Superseries Premier event in Jakarta, which is due to be held between June 10 and 16.

But now the BWF have claimed that they will continue testing the line-call technology in an effort to resolve some last-minute issues which arose during the recent testing at the Li-Ning BWF Sudirman Cup in Malaysia.

"We have undergone some really good testing at both the Maybank Malaysia Open and the Li-Ning Sudirman Cup and, though we envisaged being ready to go live with an instant review system at the BWF Superseries Premier in Indonesia, we have determined it best to delay its introduction," said BWF secretary general Thomas Lund.

"We want to revisit some technical aspects and engage in further testing,

"So instead of allowing players to challenge line calls at the Indonesia Open, we will use that Superseries Premier event as another testing ground."

Lund claimed that the BWF is committed to this "progressive and innovative step for the BWF World Superseries and badminton overall".

"Instant reviews are coming - players have our assurance on that," he said.

"We cannot give a date right now as we would prefer to be sure we have any issues resolved before announcing again that we are implementing a challenge system.

"The system is designed to protect the players and the integrity of the game, so we feel it is only prudent to be sure we can guarantee that the system will perform perfectly."

The BWF is still considering various systems but claims that it is committed to using camera-based technology, allowing line-call referees to reassess the call under review.

"Our priority is to ensure we get the mechanics of this operation working properly and we just need some additional time to do so and to look at the technologies available," said Lund.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
May 2013: Players to be allowed two challenges per match when badminton review system launched
April 2013: Badminton to introduce instant review system