New badminton service law to be put into test from March

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- Badminton World Federation (BWF) announced on Wednesday that an experimental service law would be put into test from next March.

The new service law stipulates that "the whole of the shuttle shall be below 1.15 meters from the surface of the court at the instant of being hit by the server's racket", hoping to provide a clear rule on one of the contentious parts of the sport.

The first event to introduce the new law would be the All England Open to be held in March, followed by other BWF major tournaments including the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals in Bangkok, Thailand, and the World Championships in Nanjing, China.

The testing period is expected to run until year-end, the BWF said in a statement.

The finalization of arrangements for implementation was made at the recent BWF Council meeting, and a proposed change to the laws of badminton will be brought before the BWF Annual General Meeting in May, said the badminton world governing body.

"The serve is an integral part of badminton. Over the years, we have been looking for ways to improve how the service laws are applied," said BWF President Poul-Erik Hoyer.

"Therefore, after various investigations and deliberations, the Council has determined to implement this experimental service law in an effort to improve the application of the service laws at BWF tournaments. We hope this will yield positive feedback from our membership."