Exciting Changes in Badminton World Rankings to Improve Prize Money
Ashley
Wed Feb 14 2024
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has implemented changes to enhance the World Rankings system, aiming to encourage higher prize money in the top tier of the World Tour. This important decision was made by the BWF Council on November 11, 2023, following five days of meetings of various boards and committees in Kuala Lumpur. The modifications will come into effect from the 17th week of 2024, just after the Olympic qualification stages.
The alterations in the World Rankings system will result in an increase in ranking points for tournaments in Tier 1 (Olympics and World Championships), Tier 1 Grade 1 (World Tour Finals), and Tier 2 Grade 2 (Super 1000 events in the World Tour). While the champions in Tier 1 now earn 14,500 points, up from 13,000, the upcoming winners of the World Tour Finals will receive 14,000 points instead of the previous 12,000 (with corresponding increases for the runners-up and other positions).
Super 1000 events that offer additional prize money of at least $500,000 to surpass the previous minimum of $1.3 million will now award 13,500 points to the champions, compared to the previous 12,000 points. Moreover, Super 1000 events with additional prize money ranging from $250,000 to $499,999 will grant 12,700 points to the winners and 10,800 points to the runners-up. However, there are no changes to the ranking points for Super 750 events and above.
In addition, a notable adjustment has been made to make the Suhandinata Cup, the World Junior Team Championships in 2024, more exciting. This change is based on the success of the mixed team format at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympics. Each match will consist of 10 pairs: 2 men's singles, 2 women's singles, 2 men's doubles, 2 women's doubles, and 2 mixed doubles. The overall winning team will be the first to reach 110 points.
These changes in the World Rankings system and the Suhandinata Cup format aim to further promote competitiveness and raise the attractiveness of badminton tournaments. With increased prize money and higher ranking points, players will have greater motivation to excel and spectators can expect more thrilling matches. These developments will contribute to the continual growth and global appeal of the sport.