KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 13 — The 15-point system proposed by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) is expected to favour European players, said national mixed doubles coach Nova Widianto.

He said the shorter new format would make matches extremely fast-paced and demand a high level of focus from the very first point.

“I think the 15-point format makes the game too fast. If you look at how European players play and train, it really suits this system.

“But if it is implemented, we just have to follow and adjust our training. The most important thing is focus because the game becomes very short and the margin for error is very small,” he said after a training session today.

However, the former mixed doubles world champion acknowledged that Asian players could adapt to any format changes.

“In Asia, we are already used to various systems and can adapt. But in my view, in the early phase European players may have the advantage,” he said.

Meanwhile, mixed doubles world champion Toh Ee Wei is ready to accept any change in the scoring format and will adapt should the 15-point system be introduced.

She said it is the duty of players to abide by decisions made by the world governing body.

“I don’t want to comment much (on the proposed change). Whatever points they decide on, we as players have to accept and adapt,” she said.

Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh said the association has yet to decide on the proposed change in scoring format.

He said a meeting would be held with players and coaches soon to discuss the proposal before finalising the body’s stance.

He added that the outcome of the discussion would then be taken as a vote at the BWF Annual General Meeting scheduled for April 25 in Horsens, Denmark. 

Yesterday, the BWF Council agreed to propose the 15-point system as the official scoring format for competitions, saying it offers the best balance in terms of match excitement, competitive fairness and player welfare.

The system has previously been tested in several national and Grade 3 tournaments and was also used at the 2025 World Junior Championships. — Bernama