Video ref trial at Superseries Finals

I don't know why it took BWF so long to do this. LCW vs CL finals was fairly called. Line judge was overturned at least 2 times during the match from my count (I only tuned in during the middle of the first set). That's 2 points that would have gone the wrong way.

 

I have only just become aware of this forum and thread but having seen it I feel compelled to comment. I have been a line judge for many years and have line judged at almost every major tournament including the Olympics and although the initial post from Kwum differentiates between what he calls genuine bad calls and biassed calls I believe he displays a lack of understanding about calls in how he describes them. A biassed call is bad in anyone’s book and it is well known that this happens predominantly in the Far East. In my view a genuine bad call is an unbiassed call that lands more than 2 cms inside or outside the line. It would be more accurate to describe a call where the shuttle lands within maybe less than a centimetre as incorrect. It is all too easy to be judgmental about line judges and their calls when one hasn’t actually done any officiating. Unless you have actually sat on a line you cannot possibly know how difficult it can be.


Having said that I can also say that I have experienced the Instant Review System at an event and have first-hand knowledge of how it operates and what information it gives us. Firstly, the fact is that at the event I attended all the calls were monitored, whether challenged or not. The overwhelming number of calls were correct. The actual percentage deemed incorrect was just over 1%. However, there is a more interesting side to this. Kwun made an erroneous statement when he said that, after any shuttlecock lands, players already know exactly whether it is out or not. This is a generalisation which simply doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. Very often players see what they want to see. The percentage of incorrect challenges at the event was higher than the correct challenges. In addition, there were a small number of occasions where players could challenge but didn’t because even their eyes couldn’t pick up on where the shuttle actually landed. The reason for this is because the eye only sees 25 frames per second while a camera sees 200 frames per second. Knowing this, players are no better qualified to be certain where a shuttle lands than a line judge. Their instincts might be better simply because they have constant daily exposure to shuttles landing, but their eyes can’t actually see any quicker than anyone else. When reviewing a shot, the referee can split a shuttle landing into frames of 200[SUP]th[/SUP] of a second. It isn’t surprising the camera will be better able to see if a shuttle is in or out. Nevertheless, the fact that it sometimes needed an enlargement to determine where the shuttle landed demonstrates how difficult a line judge’s job can be.

Personally I welcome the introduction of the Review System because I believe nothing is more important in a match than accuracy. However, unless you have actually line judged don’t be smug and think you understand what is involved. Also, don’t write as if all line judges are lumped into one homogenous mass. We all know why overruling was brought in but most line judges try to do an impartial and accurate job to the best of their ability, using their own money and time to do it. They sit on the line for hours on end and yet all too often they are treated like rubbish; but most umpires say they wouldn’t want to do the job themselves. All those of you who think you can do better why not have a go at the job and then you might like to revise some of the comments made in this forum. You will soon find out it isn’t as easy as some of you appear to think

 

i thought Umpires get paid. Am I wrong?

 

Ha ha ha, yes we do, but a day's pay will get me lunch and dinner and that's about it. We do get travel expenses paid for. Line judges on the other hand, I believe they do not get their travel expenses paid. Most line judges are from their home country.

 

line judges do not get paid?

 

Firstly, thanks to Loh for his kind words. Secondly I thought it would be helpful to give you the facts about expenses for umpires and line judges. Umpires who are invited (whether by BWF or other National Governing Bodies) to overseas tournaments, have their airfares paid for (although one Association to my knowledge requires a small contribution). They are always put up in decent hotels and sometimes get a daily allowance too. They will also usually be provided with food and refreshments that they don't have to pay for. For the most part, umpires are not out of pocket to any great degree.

Line judges are less lucky but are still treated more kindly than they used to be. The real turning point came, I believe, when BWF made it a rule that for all major tournaments (Superseries etc) there had to be a minimum of 6 line judges to a court. For Grand Prix level this was at least 4 to a court. Up to this point National Bodies could argue that line judges were not necessary for the running of a tournament and didn't deserve the same treatment as the umpires even though, in theory, only a referee was necessary to run a tournament. This gave more power to the arguments made by national line judge associations who could argue that without their members there would be no experienced and professional line judges. BWF also decided to form an elite squad of International Line Judges (called International Technical Officials or ITOs) to ensure they had a number of non-local line judges who could provide neutrality. This is now in its 4th year of existence.

ITOs are treated differently from National line judges in that they get a good daily allowance which helps subsidise their expenditure while at a tournament. A good standard hotel must be provided (in practice it is usually the same one that is provided for the umpires). They do not, however, have their airfares paid at present by BWF. As you can imagine, if you live in Europe, paying for flights to the Far East is very expensive. Some National Bodies make a contribution to those fares, and at least one I heard about paid the whole fares for its ITOs this year but the majority have to fund the fares themselves. The daily allowance paid by BWF doesn't cover the whole airfare in most cases, so the ITOs are always out of pocket to some degree.

As far as hotels are concerned for National local line judges whether at home or abroad, the treatment varies. They may be put up in the same hotels as the umpires at certain events (the Dutch Open is one such example). Often they are put in communal accommodation such as dormitories holding several beds (not great if you need your sleep and your room mates are noisy). In other cases such as the All England accommodation is not provided. The local line judges association has to make arrangements and the line judges pay for their rooms themselves, although there is a daily subsidy that partly covers the cost of the room. Food or meal vouchers are provided along with refreshments during the tournament. The general provision for volunteers by Badminton England during the tournament is good and line judges are well treated and appreciated. There may be other allowances for local line judges such as a mileage rate or parking paid for if they drive in.

It will be obvious from what I have written that line judges are still treated as inferior and less important than umpires in many countries. Having said that we are still hugely better off than we used to be. I can remember turning up at one of the biggest tournaments in the world many years ago where no refreshments, rest facilities or even lockers were provided. We have some way to go before we achieve equality with the umpires (if we ever do), but we have been prepared to put up with a lot over the years for the love of the game and will probably continue to do so while still striving to improve our situation even more.

 

just curious, can umpire overrule line judges now? thanks.

 

I am surprised you are asking but yes they can and unfortunately some umpires think it's almost a necessity to find an excuse to do so just to prove they can. The rule is that the shuttle has to be clearly out but I have seen certain umpires be influenced by a player's reaction. The worst one was when an umpire obviously thought a call was correct and called the score in a major Mens Singles final, one player then protested and the umpire then overruled and changed the score. Outrageous. On the court where the Instant Review System was in place there was not a single overrule. Says it all!!

 

thanks. I asked because I thought with the Instant Review System now in place, umpires now do not (or cannot) overrule line judges. i guess i am wrong. but thanks.

 

I suppose now the onus is on the players to call the video review challenge instead of the umpire calling the over rule if there's a doubt about the line call.

 

[MENTION=115099]LJ Defender[/MENTION] Do you think in time if everyone is satisfied with how the instant replays pans out, the ITO's will be out of a "job"? It will probably be less/un necessary to go to all that cost when there is a challenge system now, your thoughts?

Although it is totally essential to have line judges for the sport and it would look totally amatuer without any, I have never understood what drives line judges to do it? Is it just for the front row seats(i know to busy concentrating) or what reasons containing much more substance?

 

At present I can't see any way that BWF would dispense with the ITOs, in fact they doubled the size of the squad this year. To start with, as long as the cost of the Instant Review System is too high to use on more than one court, there will be at least 2 courts in action until the final of any major competition with one not covered. The system is labour intensive in that it has to have the operator looking at the screen and working the controls non-stop, plus there has to be a referee sitting beside the system, also at all times. Imagine the situation if the system was installed on all 5 courts at a major tournament. You would need at least 6 referees and 5 operators plus additional operators to relieve the working ones from time to time.

There will, therefore, always be a need to have a neutral team of line judges available. In addition, the players have only two challenges per match, unless they retain more through successfully challenging. Once a player has lost both challenges, there will continue to be a need for ITOs to provide a high level of experience and professionalism to ensure that impartiality and accuracy is maintained throughout the match at major tournaments.

As for what drives line judges to do the job it is probably a variety of reasons. I started almost by accident as someone I played against in a local league was line judging at the All England and suggested I volunteer. The first time I ever stepped out onto a court was at the All England with a large crowd. After the initial fright I was hooked. There are lots of reasons to do the job but being so close to the action is one of the main ones. There is also the fact that one gets close to the players, gets the chance to experience different countries, meet other line judges at home and overseas and form friendships. Also, it is probably the peak of achievement for anyone interested in sport to be involved in major tournaments, in particular the Olympics, and to have reached that goal made everything worthwhile. It is a rewarding thing to do as long as you can accept the fact that you will inevitably make mistakes on occasions and not let that put you off, because you know you are performing a valuable job for the players and the sport.

 

I must confess I hadn't intended to get this involved but I am glad to see that I am helping to make clearer the side of line judging that most people never see. As for the technology, it is simply cameras positioned at the ends of the baselines and sidelines (not the service lines). The cameras can pick up the shuttle from various angles and it is then down to ultra slow motion and the judgement of the referee. That's it I am afraid. Whether BWF will ever be able to afford the computer generated decisions of a Hawkeye system remains to be seen. What would be good is to have the decisions on a big screen for the audience with In or Out indicated on that screen. The audience would love it.

 

Wow, didn't expect such a comprehensive answer, thank you massively appreciated. I was picking up everything you were putting down.

 

[MENTION=115099]LJ Defender[/MENTION] - Forgot to add, You have a very interesting way of writing, you would be great at writing articles of your coming or past experiences.

 

^ Now that's new... a player questioning and challenging the umpire.