KUALA LUMPUR: Has the time come for the Badminton World Federation (BWF) to reevaluate the format of the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals, the men's and women's world team championships, to revive their excitement and prestige?
According to Datuk Kenny Goh, the secretary-general of the Badminton Association of Malaysia, the existing 16-team format could benefit from some 'minor adjustments'.
The number of teams participating in the Finals has undergone specific changes in the past two decades.
Initially, the number of teams increased from eight to 12 in 2004 and then further to 16 in 2014, opening the door for nations from Africa, Oceania, and Pan America to participate in the Finals.
This expansion was implemented by the BWF to ensure that their major competitions represent the universal nature of the sport.
However, while the expansion was intended to promote the global development of badminton, it does raise concerns about the quality of the Finals, especially with matches between underdog teams and powerhouses in the group stage appearing to be less exciting to watch.
There is also a spillover effect where the continental team championships, intended to be prestigious and serve as qualifiers for the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals, fail to reflect their true significance.
Take the Asia Team Championships, for example, where four spots are available for the Finals, yet teams can still make the cut based on the BWF World Team Rankings via another route.
The last Asia Team Championships in 2022 served as strong evidence, with China opting not to send their men's and women's squads, while Japan, Indonesia, and South Korea chose to enter their second stringers.
Kenny opined: "This is more of a policy matter that should be addressed by the BWF. We need to thoroughly examine the entire issue and determine the objective of the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals.
"Do we prefer to have 16 teams, or should the number be less than that? Is participation crucial for development?
"There's no definitive right or wrong in this matter, the key is to define the objective.
"If you look at the whole thing, probably some tweaking needs to be done because, in the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals, the first few days of the group stage matches probably won't be interesting, as you will see weaker teams playing against stronger ones.
"Maybe this is something we can look at and see how we can make improvements to ensure that every match is interesting.
"For example, I think BWF did a good job in terms of the World Tour.
"If you look at the recent Malaysia Open (Super 1000), which features only the top 32 players and pairs, most matches were already interesting from day one, so it's good for the fans.
"I remember vividly that we didn't get good crowds during the preliminary rounds of the Malaysia Open years back, but things are different now.
"The stadium is packed right from the opening day."
Asked if BWF should consider introducing the tiering system, as was previously used in the Sudirman Cup Finals prior to the 2021 edition, where only the elite teams get to play in the top division, Kenny said the idea can be considered.
"Perhaps, perhaps. There probably needs to be an in-depth study on the objective of such a major event," he said.