The Badminton World Federation has decided to defer the implementation of the new skirt rule for women shuttlers for a month - till June 1 - to allow players to get used to the idea and clarify their doubts.
Under the new rule, women shuttlers had to wear a skirt or a wrap around for all the Level 1 to 3 events from May 1 this year, the date from which the 2012 Olympic qualification period begins.
Now the regulation will come into effect from June 1 with the first event to be held under the rule would be Singapore Open Super Series tournament.
While most players have accepted the rule and have started wearing skirts in major tournaments since the start of the year, a few players from China and Indonesia had expressed reservations saying they were not comfortable playing in skirts and some even questioned the rational behind making it compulsory.
However, BWF Deputy President Paison Rangsikitpho insisted that there was nothing wrong in implementing a dress code. "Sometimes it is necessary to make rules to get consistent implementation… We are however always willing to listen to players, which is why we have decided to delay the implementation date to June 1 to be able to advice and have a dialogue with the players on the implementation guidelines," he said in a release.
The BWF had amended the regulations last year in order to market the sport more aggresively and popularise it.
{{/usCountry}}The BWF had amended the regulations last year in order to market the sport more aggresively and popularise it.
{{/usCountry}}