TALES COC THE NEWSLETTER OF BWF TECHNICAL OFFICIALS JULY 2018 EDITION NO. 20 A DIFFERENT BUT REWARDING CHALLENGE By Torsten Berg When BWF referees met on 25 June 2018 in Kuala significantly different from the GCR for badminton, Chair - BWF Referee Assessment Panel Lumpur for the standardisation workshop, para- as they contain more special clauses. This is mainly badminton referees Heng Ah Neoh (Malaysia) due to the fewer number of players classified in “One sport - One Team” is the motto of and Enrique Charadan (Cuba) gave an inspiring each sport class, and hence smaller draws in the para-badminton. The sport for players with presentation on similarities and differences between tournaments. a disability is very similar to badminton. refereeing badminton and para-badminton, which The Laws carry a few additional clauses to forms the basis for this note. So far, approximately 900 players have been accommodate the needs of para-badminton classified in the six para-badminton sports classes. players, and the court varies according to Refereeing para-badminton is a considerably more Roughly two-thirds are men. The numbers are the ability of the six sports classes into which complex job than ordinary refereeing, as the Para- steadily increasing, as there are new players para-badminton is divided. Badminton General Competition Regulations are classified by the specialist classifiers immediately Continues on page 3 BADMINTON WORLD FEDERATION www.bwfbadminton.com PAGE 2 FROM THE CHAIR BY GILLES CAVERT LEARN, UNDERSTAND, INTERNALISE A BWF technical official has numerous A misunderstanding of a Law often leads to a 1. The inability of the umpire to show Laws, regulations and instructions to learn, bad call by the umpire. commitment on court and to intervene understand, think about, and implement on when appropriate. the field of play. For example, Law 13.4.4 states that “it is 2. A lack of understanding of the Law. a fault, if, in play, a player obstructs an For non-native English speakers, this can opponent, i.e. prevents an opponent from It is your duty to stay up-to-date on the Laws be particularly challenging. Nevertheless, a making a legal stroke where the shuttle is and all other BWF Statutes. Download them, few hours of pre-tournament preparation can followed over the net’’. print them, study them — and make sure you make a big difference and help you improve are accessing the latest versions from the your handling of matches. I have always been surprised by the inaction and/or timidity of some BWF technical BWF corporate website (http://bwfcorporate. Please review all documents on Laws, officials when this situation occurs on court. com/statutes). regulations and instructions! It will allow better understanding, and step by step, you Perhaps this timidity is because of one, or You will then feel more comfortable in the will internalise them. both, of the following factors: chair when handling tense match situations. PREPARATION IS KEY By Malcolm Banham You are the ones on TV making simple errors Badminton — especially if that incorrect call Chair - BWF Umpire Assessment Panel about whom the commentators are more than could cost a player/pair a game or match. happy to talk. It’s been another busy and productive year It is not good enough to come off court saying so far for the BWF Umpire Assessment Panel to yourself that you tried to tell the umpire; it is with many workshops, assessments and BWF Umpire Assessor Workshop vital you make the umpire aware of the error. appraisals carried out all over the world… there has been no time to rest! The Assessment Panel met for its annual A thorough knowledge of the Laws and good workshop during the TOTAL BWF Thomas & preparation for a tournament are essential. Panel members have noticed some situations Uber Cup Finals 2018. The workshop focussed at recent events that should be addressed: on increasing competence, consistency, and Enjoy your umpiring and enjoy the overall performance of BWF Umpires. camaraderie of our great family of BWF Umpires. Inconsistent Performance Therefore, please remember that we are here to help you achieve your goals. BWF Umpires need to prepare thoroughly prior to the tournament and for all matches. Excuses like: “It is only the first day, I was Two-Minute Warmup getting myself into the tournament”, etc. are not valid. Errors in Law from BWF Certificated The standard warmup time continues to be Umpires should not happen. two minutes, starting when the umpire sits in CONGRATULATIONS! the chair following the coin toss, with a call of “ready to play” at 90 seconds, and “love all – The Badminton World Federation congratulates the Player Late Back on Court play” at two minutes. following recently-upgraded CC level referees to the BWF Accredited level: During one of our recent workshops the However, at certain tournaments, to meet assessor asked which card should be given the requirements of TV, and as advised by • Diraj Dev Gooneadry (MRI) if a player is late back on court after the one- the referee, the length of the warmup time or two-minute interval. Almost 60% of the may be modified and is always subject to the • Lui Wan Swee (MAS) umpires answered incorrectly. referee’s instructions. BWF congratulates the following recently-upgraded How can this misunderstanding happen at a At the recent TOTAL BWF Thomas & Uber CC level umpires to the BWF Accredited level: BWF tournament? Cup Finals 2018, the two-minute warmup was modified to where “ready to play” was called Please go straight to the Laws and ensure at two minutes as opposed to 90 seconds. • Emi Sakamoto (JPN) you have the right answer as I will be asking • Jesper Hedam Larsen (DEN) the same question at an upcoming workshop, • Joao Fragoso (POR) and I expect everyone to know the right Service Judge Must Assist Umpire • Stephane Venet (FRA) answer. • Fabio Lopes (BRA) Umpires and service judges have an obligation to make the sport fair for the Calling Service Faults players. When did you last read the new service laws This includes the important responsibility of on calling a service fault related to the racket the service judge to help the umpire make head? the correct decision related to the Laws of BADMINTON WORLD FEDERATION www.bwfbadminton.com PAGE 3 Continued from page 1 before almost every tournament. Some may wheelchair classes, WH 1 and WH 2. Even medals corresponding to the results and also be re-classified if the degree of their men’s and women’s competitions may be reflecting his/her level of disability. disability has changed. However, the number combined, which happens occasionally of entries in each sport class and event is still (e.g. short stature class SS 6). Para-badminton is growing fast. Younger much smaller than in badminton. and often more competitive players replace and supplement the experienced players Tournaments normally start with a group Entries are controlled by a technical delegate we have known for years. With growing stage, followed by a knock-out stage. (TD) who works closely with the referee. The numbers, para-badminton players may Entries in three event categories and group referee and TD will only know the final entry choose to specialise in singles or doubles. after classification and a short re-entry period play reflect the desire of para-badminton players – who are as competitive as allowed for players to find new partners (e.g. Larger entry numbers mean that fewer the able-bodied – to have as much play if they have been classified differently at a classes will have to be combined. Para- as possible after having travelled to an previous tournament). badminton refereeing will become simpler international tournament often on their own and closer to what you already know well. Development of an online entry system expense. is underway, which may help simplify the If you wish to be among the pioneers, entry process, which is complicated by most The referee is required to provide a please come forward! players playing three events, and often with reasonable timetable, but fortunately para- partners from other member associations. badminton players normally are flexible in If you would like a closer look at refereeing their demands. After all, several players para-badminton, do not hesitate to say Once the entries are ready, the TD and enter three events, so they need to play so. Its complexities will be unraveled and referee shall verify which classes can be with short intervals between matches. played. It takes a minimum of four players training and mentorship will be provided to newcomers into the para-badminton from three member associations to have an Medal distribution is another complexity, referee and TD community. The takeaway official competition. If the numbers are less, driven by the possibility to combine sports sport classes may be combined, and in some classes and events with small entries. A is huge - the friendship and camaraderie sport classes events are combined according player (or pair) playing in a class or event among para-badminton players is definitely to regulations, such as doubles in the two with less disabled players will still have a rich reward! BADMINTON WORLD FEDERATION www.bwfbadminton.com PAGE 4 Participants at the BWF Referee Workshop that was held in Kuala Lumpur on 24 and 25 June 2018. CONSISTENT QUALITY AND REFEREEING STANDARDS By Torsten Berg ITTO — now holding two detailed sections on refereeing — will be a helpful tool for the referees in future. BWF Referees met on 24 and 25 June 2018 in Kuala Lumpur for a workshop to further improve and standardise their performance. We discussed standard situations and how to handle them, noting With the rapidly increasing level of play and presentation of the that the ITTO shall be followed, unless a referee in a specific HSBC BWF World Tour, the BWF Referees are faced with increasing situation has a good reason to deviate from the standard, and based pressure to deliver tournaments of the highest calibre both when it on common sense.