Badminton is a fast and exciting sport. Players travel all over the world to compete and earn points. These points help them get a good “World Ranking.” The World Ranking tells us how good a player is compared to others. The higher the rank, the better the player.
But sometimes, things happen. What if a player gets a serious injury? Or what if they have another very important reason why they cannot play for a long time? If they stop playing, their points will go down, and their ranking will get lower and lower. This can be very sad for a player who worked hard to be at the top.
This is where “Protected Ranking” comes in. It’s a special rule made by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF is the main organization for badminton around the world. Protected Ranking helps top players keep their place in the game even when they are away because of serious problems like injury.
How Does the BWF World Ranking Work?
Before we talk more about Protected Ranking, let’s understand the normal World Ranking. Every week, the BWF updates the rankings. Players earn points by playing in official tournaments. Bigger tournaments give more points. For example, winning a big tournament like the World Championships or the Olympic Games gives a lot of points.
The BWF looks at a player’s best 10 results from the last 52 weeks (one year). They add up the points from these best 10 tournaments. This total number of points decides their World Ranking. So, if a player plays many tournaments, only their best results count. If they play less than 11 tournaments, all their points from those tournaments are counted. This system makes sure that players who play well often get a higher rank.
Why Do Players Need Protected Ranking?
Imagine a top player, let’s say they are ranked in the top 10 in the world. They are very good and play many big tournaments. Then, they get a bad injury that needs many months to heal. If they just stop playing, their points will slowly disappear because they are not earning new points. Soon, their ranking will drop very low. When they are ready to play again, it will be very hard for them to enter big tournaments because their ranking is too low.
Protected Ranking helps solve this problem. It’s like a “pause button” for their ranking. It makes sure that a player, who was once at the top, does not lose their standing completely because of something outside their control, like a serious injury. This way, when they get better, they can come back to the sport at a level that is fair to their past achievements.
Who Can Apply for Protected Ranking and How?
Not every player can ask for a Protected Ranking. This rule is mostly for “top players.” This means players who are usually in the top ranks. According to BWF rules, players who are among the “Top 10 committed players” in their category (like Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, etc.) can ask for it.
To apply, the player needs to show official documents. If it’s an injury, they need to give medical reports from doctors. If it’s for another important reason, they need to provide relevant papers to the BWF. The BWF will then look at everything and decide if they agree to give the Protected Ranking.
What Happens When a Player Gets Protected Ranking?
When the BWF says “yes” to a Protected Ranking, a few things happen:
- No Mandatory Tournaments: The player does not have to play in the tournaments that top players are normally required to play. They are “exempt” from these rules.
- No Bonuses: They will not get any special money or bonuses that top players might get for playing in many tournaments during that year.
- Time Away from Play: The player cannot play in any official tournament for a certain time. This time can be as short as three months or as long as twelve months. They can also tell the BWF when they are ready to play again before the 12 months are over.
- Starting the Period: The time for the Protected Ranking starts when the BWF officially gives their permission.
- Return to Normal Ranking: After 12 months, the player must use their regular World Ranking. The Protected Ranking will not be active anymore.
- No Immediate Re-Application: A player who has used a Protected Ranking cannot ask for another one for at least two years after they start playing again. This rule prevents players from using it too often.
- Coming Back to Tournaments: When a player comes back, they can use their Protected Ranking to enter certain big tournaments, like the World Superseries events. They can use this protected rank for the same amount of time they were away, but for no more than six months. However, this Protected Ranking does not help with “seeding” (which means getting a good spot in the tournament draw) or for other tournaments that are not Superseries events.
Examples of Players Using Protected Ranking
Many famous badminton players have used Protected Ranking when they were injured. For example, Anthony Sinisuka Ginting from Indonesia and Lee Zii Jia from Malaysia are two well-known players who have received Protected Ranking from the BWF because of injuries. This allowed them to recover and then come back to compete at a high level.
Conclusion
Protected Ranking is a very important rule in professional badminton. It shows that the BWF cares about the players and their careers. It helps top players get back on court after a serious injury or other long break, without losing all the hard work they put into building their ranking. It makes sure that the game remains fair and that we can continue to see our favorite players compete at their best, even after facing difficult times.