Mumbai, April 8 – The Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport's global governing body, has approved the use of synthetic shuttlecocks from two leading companies at BWF Grade 3 tournaments and Junior International tournaments.
This initiative is part of BWF's long-term strategy to evaluate synthetic feather shuttlecocks for potential use at the elite level.
BWF is working with the companies to assess the quality and performance of synthetic shuttlecocks in higher-level competitive settings, with a particular focus on ensuring that their flight and playing characteristics align with current competition standards, the BWF said in a news item on its official website.
The approved products for use during this trial phase are: VICTOR New Carbon Sonic Max Synthetic Shuttlecock (SC-NCS-MAX-12), YONEX CROSSWIND 70 Synthetic Shuttlecock.
The trial will include the collection of manufacturer performance data, along with feedback from players, technical officials, and event organizers.
This information will support BWF's ongoing assessment and inform future decisions regarding the potential use of synthetic shuttlecocks at top-tier tournaments.
The BWF has repeatedly come under attack from animal protection groups over the use of goose or duck feathers for making shuttlecocks.
Currently, a shuttlecock is made from 16 or so overlapping feathers, usually goose or duck, embedded into a rounded cork base. Feathers are plucked from the wings of a live goose or duck, a method which has been deemed cruel by animal rights activists. To ensure satisfactory flight properties, it is considered preferable to use feathers from the right or left wings only in each shuttlecock, and not mix feathers from different wings, as the feathers from different wings are shaped differently.
Over the years, there have been demands that BWF use synthetic shuttlecocks so that the birds may not have to suffer.