Well, you do know that BFW have "indefinitely" shelved this silly idea. So there is no "immediate" danger of anyone or any country banning the sport or participation, etc. On a related note, maybe BFW could work out some way to "encourage" the ladies to try out other acceptable dress forms apart from shorts. Maybe they could hold fashoin shows with the plaers participating (men and women of course!) before the start of the final day of a SS or SSP tournament, for example. Get YY, LN etc involved...
It's how we perform in sports that counts; not how we dress . It's not what attire that our Badminton players are to wear; it is this that is more important, IMHO. If BWF want to show off girls' legs, they could do like what Formula-1 Racing organisers do - Hire good looking models to parade at BWF tournaments. There is no need to insist on Badminton tournament women players to wear skirts. .
Why can't players perform well and dress well at the same time. It's not exactly like asking them them to chew gum and walk at the same time. If you're representing the sport in front of thousands of spectators, don't you want look good doing it? Imagine going for a meeting and turning up in shorts and flip flops. How would that make your company look? Seriously, it doesn't take that much of an effort to look good on the court. And for heaven's sake, I hope the players look beyond the tips of their noses and realize that how they present themselves can also help popularize badminton. There is this big potential money pie they can all share in but they need to pull their weight collectively to succeed.
A new proposal "with a broader scope" would be made in December 2011 . It is now known that BWF stated that a new proposal "with a broader scope" would be made in December (2011). Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiat...neral-clothing-regulations-bwf-indian-players End of the game for skirts? Suruchi Sharma, TNN Jun 8, 2011, 12.11am IST The Badminton World Federation's rule asking female players to wear skirts on the court has been put on hold for the time being. The Indian players and officials, who were never game for it, are more than happy with the development. Just two days before the controversial rule requiring women badminton players to compulsorily wear skirts on court was to come in force, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) had the rule indefinitely shelved. The rule was to come in effect from June 1, but the BWF stated that a new proposal "with a broader scope" would be made in December. .
A funny comment: Wardrobe malfunctions in Badminton . Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?id=6625851 Wardrobe malfunctions in Badminton By Jerry Greene June 5, 2011, 4:51 PM ET Once again what should have been the really big sports news story of the week went barely noticed. What's wrong with you people? When the blood starts flowing in the streets, you can't complain because you were warned. This time it's bad news for badminton. Or more exactly, bad badminton news that was barely averted. The badminton federation (kind of like the Star Trek Federation except that you can wear a red jersey and live past the first commercial break) was going to enact a rule this week that would require female players to wear dresses or skirts. Oh, the women could have the freedom of wearing shorts or long pants -- as long as they were beneath a dress or a skirt. As you might have guessed, a mighty wind of protest shook the very foundation of the badminton federation. So they said it needed further study. Right. But here's the alarming quote from a member of the federation's executive council: "It is still our contention to focus on a better presentation of the game, but we will like to broaden the scope to include both men and women." What? The men will have to wear a dress or a skirt? Funny game, badminton. .
The dress code for men, on the other hand, simply requires “proper attire” . Here is an article from 'Sociological Images'* * Sociological Images encourages people to exercise and develop their sociological imaginations with discussions of compelling visuals that span the breadth of sociological inquiry. ====== * ====== parts of article ====== * ====== While the Iranian players would be able to continue wearing their long pants, they would have to wear a skirt over them — which, as the NYT article points out, could be cumbersome and restrictive, putting some players in the position of having to accept potentially negative effects on their performance in return for being allowed to wear shorts or pants. The BWF argued that this was for women’s players’ own good, since it would bring more attention to the sport, pointing out that they recently increased the prize money for women’s tournaments to be equal to men’s and added women’s competitions to be sure men and women have the same options for participation. The argument seemed to be that they are trying to make women’s badminton more popular, and thus the least the women can do is play their part — which means not just being excellent players, but looking more attractive to viewers. However, as some players and other critics pointed out, the concern with using dress code to enhance the popularity of the sport seemed to fall disproportionately on women, and seemed to focus primarily on making women conform to ideals of femininity. The dress code for men, on the other hand, simply requires “proper attire.” ====== * ====== *====== * ====== * ====== Article sourced from: http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2011/06/13/femininity-and-the-proposed-badminton-dress-code/ I like 2 of the comments:- One asking women players; "Do you continue to pursue your passion knowing that they’re using your body to sell tickets?" The other talking about men players; "Wait, men’s badminton isn’t popular either. Are they going to start requiring men to play shirtless to drum up viewers?" .
"Or are you just happy riding along on the popularity the men's game generates?" Separate tours now! And we'll have our answer . A huge missed opportunity by the BWF holding the Thomas and Uber Cup together at the same location again even now that there are different winners ...
BWF is trying this and trying that to get more Badminton spectators . I suppose BWF is trying this and trying that to get more Badminton spectators. As I have mentioned before, BWF should organise more "flashy action or display" intended to bewilder spectators; Like the how the Formula-1 Car Racing Tour is conducted. .
Well they already pull out cheerleaders regularly in China and Eastern Europe don't they . Kinda out of place with multiple courts of action instead of spurring on the home/ away team. But on a serious note, once the match is on who cares what player's wear when watching on tv. It's just that in pics, etc. off-court interviews there are no personalities and dressing so neutral doesn't exactly help build a picture of the individual (nor generate media interest). It comes down to the age old question: would you pay to watch? Plain and simple ... And by that I mean the vast majority of rec. players who have no idea who is who, probably the majority of spectators don't even know many outside of their own countrymen, due to lack of media coverage. It's almost mindboggling there is no international magazine as well, that might be something for BWF although I guess all these "newsletters" and ezine's have replaced glossy paper magazines. One comment of a ladies player not opposed on why she wears skirts (admittedly not the brightest tool in the shed but ...): because it looks more professional. Frankly there is something to it, almost like a uniform. Save your baggy shirt and shorts for the practice hall
Well I say "who cares" but part of the process of picking favorites over time is certainly influenced by what they wear/their overall appearance and by that I mean of the ladies. Their play will never be the level of the men's so other factors start playing a bigger role (fighting spirit could be one ) ... Just projecting my WTA process onto the baddy scene. I guess a potential high level and beforehand expectedly hardfought ladies match is still interesting enough for me to record but I probably wouldn't pay for it if there actually were separate tours ...
BWF are afraid that Badminton will lose its spot in future Olympic Games . But 'fighting spirit' could only be witnessed when spectators get to the stadium/venue to watch them play. I think the BWF organisers are not only wishing to get better media coverage, but they are afraid that Badminton will lose its spot in future Olympic Games. .
Yes it could very well be the underlying reason to try and raise the profile of the women's game to meet the minimum olympic sports requirements but there are very few countries that don't have at least one gent and one lady on tour (I guess XD quite conveniently helps out there ). The requirements on the women's level are lower than for the men in terms of "countries where the sport is played" (didn't even say on what level I believe).
Good one. They do in many places. They do in Korea, to a point, though mostly to adorn entrance and medal ceremonies etc. They used to have girls in hotpants and gogo boots dancing right in front of the spectators and trying to lead cheers but the last time they did that, the spectators complained that they couldn't see the court. Amazingly, the cheerleaders responded by suggesting that those who had paid more and bought early could move to higher seats. This is getting into the realm of issues addressed in other threads but I agree that skirts are less likely to be the deal-breaker. However, nor do I think the action is necessarily what will be the most disappointing from a separate tour. Die-hard badminton fans are the only ones who seem to look beyond the nationality on the jersey. Even fans of the Chinese players speak of, for example, Saina's inability to beat 'the Chinese', as if they were some monolithic entity. If that continues to be true and if the monolith keeps winning 98% of the titles, then a women's tour would fail, regardless of rule-induced eye candy. The only way it will be interesting is if you have personalities within the monolith (see other threads) or if other national entities start winning consistently. This is partly correct. I think that an international magazine relies on a lingua franca and English can't be that for badminton like it is for tennis. Tennis has large followings in English-speaking countries, which means that English-language publishers have the incentive to run a magazine and then piggy-back on an existing framework to distribute to other countries where people have interest and English literacy. With badminton, by contrast, you have a smaller potential readership, for starters, because of its lower status as a spectator sport, and this is particularly true for nations with a majority of English speakers. On the other hand, when you consider that a plurality, or even a majority, of the world's badminton fans are in China, it is not surprising that they have a glossy magazine. The fact that Korea has two is more surprising. If China has international stories and exports theirs to Malaysia, Taiwan and other places where enough people can and wish to read it, then that would likely be the closest equivalent that badminton could support of an international tennis magazine.
I guess the closest thing was the Badminton Asia mag. I don't particularly see a market for it in the local newsstands either but an international subscription system for a quarterly/bi-monthly mag would be nice. Throw in a poster for the little kids ... Hmmm wonder if I can still complete my set of the above magazine (missing two). Perhaps I should try the buy & sell section ...
. I think Badminton magazines can inform us, already Badminton fans, what is going on about our sport. But to attract more people to follow Badminton, I shall think it is not working. .
What if I leave it behind at the hairdresser? Just saying you don't have to power up any gizmo to read about it and other perhaps already playing recreationally and just for fun will start knowing who is who the next time they visit an international tournament after reading it through a more interested fan. It's not very likely they will go on the net to find out who is who before they attend. I mean last time people around me were supporting Olga Konon just because her name was Olga . Back to the appearance thing: you only get one chance to make a first impression ... particularly true for the casual viewer who should make up the majority of viewers. For all the backlash Yonex has been getting for the signature items as money grabbing marketing schemes , they do portray three of their best players as three recognizable individuals through their customized outfits ... And Bo/Mo & KKK/TBH getting theirs as well at the WC in London as questionable a design they may be (personally I think they will turn out alright irl)
To get more people to know more about when/where/who about Badminton...... . Customers at the hairdresser might request to copy the hair styles of some our Badminton players. Yes, I was saying that to attract more people to follow Badminton, I shall think that the printing of magazines is not working. But to get more people to know more about when/where/who about Badminton tournament venues/players' faces, I am sure magazines can be helpful to introduce them to the readers. .
Aanother proposal for the best dress code for female and male players . Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...rule-remains-in-limbo/articleshow/8875514.cms ====== * ====== start article ====== * ====== Badminton's controversial 'skirt rule' has not been scrapped but is merely in limbo while officials wait for more consultation after initial feedback deemed it sexist, the governing body said on Thursday (16-June-2011) at the Singapore Open SS tournament. A new Badminton World Federation ( BWF) code had required all female players to wear skirts or dresses in major tournaments in order to "to ensure attractive presentation of badminton", but the rule has not been implemented after an outcry. This week's Singapore Open had been slated as the first tournament to implement the rule, but marketing manager for the BWF's Super Series S.Selvam said a decision was in limbo. "The rule has been deferred until we get another proposal from the women's commission," Selvam said at the city state's Indoor Stadium. "There was a lot of feedback from players. But a lot of the feedback actually came from the public saying that it was too sexist," he continued. The legislation -- that stipulates female players must wear a skirt during competition even if they also wear shorts -- is to be reassessed in December. "What was decided was to get the women's commission and the ethnic scholarship to gather feedback from manufacturers, players and other interested parties, and to come up with another proposal for the best dress code for female and male players," Selvam added. ====== * ====== end article ====== * ====== Hahaha...... This time, male players will also be required to follow some dress codes too. .
BWF should contact the FIVB to see how they managed to get the skimpy dress code adhered by women players in the rule book. Obviously the BWF is going about it the wrong way
Elect a male chauvinist pig as president (Acosta for your googling purposes) and vote on the rule FIFA style, then punish teams not adhering with huge fines, $25,000 iirc till they cave in (true story , more or less) http://www.volleyball.org/rules/98fivb.html 4. NEW PLAYING UNIFORMS In cooperation with the official Volleyball uniforms suppliers, FIVB has finalised the new uniform standards. The purpose of the fashion change is to bring a new brand image to Volleyball by creating a modern specific line. Manufacturers will gradually introduce the new uniforms to the public through retail outlets. The new regulations are: - Shirts and shorts should not be loose or baggy but should follow the body line. - Long sleeved shirts are not allowed. - No numbers on the sleeves, but numbers on the right side leg of the shorts. - Country flag and name on the front left side of the shirt. - Family name or nickname on the back of the shirt, above the number. - Women are allowed to wear one-piece uniforms. The uniforms of the forthcoming World Championships must conform to these standards.
