National men’s doubles shuttler Aaron Chia is calling on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) to implement further reforms in the sport, including the introduction of video assistant referee (VAR) technology and a revision of existing medical regulations during matches.
The 28-year-old’s remarks come after BWF’s recent proposal to increase prize money and extend tournament durations — changes Aaron believes are a step in the right direction.
“It’s a good move to increase the prize money and it’s better for players to have more rest and recovery between matches (if the tournaments are extended),” said Aaron after training with partner Soh Wooi Yik at the Akademi Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara on Tuesday (June 17).
Aaron suggested that badminton could take a page from football by adopting VAR technology.
“BWF could also consider including VAR, like in football, to check if the shuttle touched a player before going out, and so on.
It’s also good to assist the service judge when it comes to deciding on service faults,” he explained.
More importantly, Aaron voiced concerns about the current medical rule that restricts players from receiving treatment during play, unless it’s during official intervals — a rule that came into effect in November.
“Most important is the medical side. BWF need to be aware that while some players might be calling for medical attention to delay the game, most players need it when they request help and don’t want to waste time by doing this.
Sometimes, we really need a cold spray or plaster. We have seen our opponents twist their ankle before, but the referee came in and thought they were delaying,” he added.
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