BWF: Skirt rule shelved pending further study

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) issued a press release today stating that the BWF Council had accepted a recommendation from the Women in Badminton Committee to shelve the new “clothing regulations as currently drafted regarding the mandatory use of skirts or dresses”.

“There has been various feedback from many quarters and after taking into account all these comments, especially those from the Athletes’ Commission, it is our recommendation to Council to do further study before implementing new clothing regulations.  It is still our intention to focus on a better presentation of the game, but we will like to broaden the scope to include both men and women, and the feedback will include views from various stakeholders such as the clothing manufacturers,” said Nora Perry, Chair of the Women in Badminton Committee.

“The Committee is also pleased that the BWF Council has accepted our recommendation and we would continue to work closely with the Athletes’ Commission, clothing manufacturers and other stakeholders to prepare a new proposal with a broader scope to Council in December.”

The rule was initially to have been implemented on May 1st and would have required women players to wear skirts or dresses at all events at Grand Prix level and above.  However, the BWF announced on April 21st that it would delay the rule’s implementation to June 1st “to be able to advise and have a dialogue with the players on the implementation guidelines”.

Also pleased at the decision was Kaveh Mehrabi (pictured), Chair of the Athletes’ Commission, which Perry named as the key source of the feedback that led to reconsideration of the rule.

Since Badzine first reported on the rule, in early March, the skirt rule has provoked unprecedented coverage in the sports and mainstream press worldwide, reflecting a mixture of shock, incredulity, and even anger.  The BWF has repeatedly insisted that their intent was only to differentiate and popularize the women’s game and that the rule was related to its earlier move that introduced prize money parity for the men’s and women’s games.

To read the May 29th BWF press release, CLICK HERE