Minutes from consultation on the future of the rankings Badminton Denmark

november 21, 2022 14:04
Written by badmintonweb

Badminton Denmark called for a hearing during this year’s DENMARK OPEN presented by VICTOR. Here you can read what was discussed and concluded.

This season is the last season in the run-in period for the ‘new’ rankings. This gives rise to debate as to whether there are still things that can be improved, or whether we should just play without a ranking list in the future. Should the equal match no longer be the focus, can we do it in a different way, should we instead play for ‘survival of the fittest’ etc. So despite the corona shutdowns of the last few years and the resulting lack of tournament activity, we still think , that we are ready to evaluate the future rankings, and we have been doing this for some time.

Read also: Get an overview of the ranking adjustments at the start of the 2022/2023 season

There was no presentation made before the hearing, as Badminton Denmark wanted everyone’s unreserved opinions. The meeting participants themselves managed the topics at the meeting, whereby we arrived at topics and conclusions as a group.

Briefly about the ranking

• The ‘Ranking list’ is a tool for ranking all competition badminton players in relation to each other, so that everyone in a given grouping can participate in the most equal competition.
• ‘Category’ is a tool that ranks players according to a current performance.
• ‘Level’ is one’s registration level, and is a tool that keeps track of whether a given player can register for all categories in the same tournament.
• Everyone who plays competitive badminton is familiar with the Ranking.
• BadmintonPlayer is the management system of the sport of badminton and is not just the ranking list.
• TP is the tournament program of the sport of badminton, and is not up for debate on this, which is used to plan open individual tournaments.

Should we still have a ranking list?

• Conclusion: There was 100% agreement that we must continue to have a ranking list. We will also continue with the ranking we have today. However, several hearing participants want to continue to regularly look at the inadequacies in this ranking, as there will be in any ranking. Badminton Denmark naturally takes this to heart and will continue to try to work based on as few inappropriateness as possible. Badminton Denmark also accepts that everyone expresses any inappropriateness, preferably with examples that can be used to solve the given inappropriateness.

Should we continue to play according to the basic principle of ‘equality’?

• Conclusion: There was 100% agreement that it is the best and that it actually works ok for all competitive people.

Are there inadequacies for the ‘non-competitive’?

No solutions were concluded, other than that all clubs need to pay attention to whether their players get the best opposition where they are ranked. If they do not, and if they do not experience equal matches, a re-placement must be considered.

• When re-placing players, Badminton Denmark sets out for a re-placing for the following reasons;
  • 1) due to prolonged break (which may also be due to pregnancy)
  • 2) due to long-term documented damage
  • 3) with documented results
• In the case of re-placement, the club’s arguments weigh heavily, however, in the case of Elite rank players or players in the upper DH ranks, respectively, Team tournament committee and the Elite department with advice.
• Conclusion: On the basis of the consultation, it was concluded that an indication of the individual player on the ranking list is provided if the player has been re-placed during the season.

Rumors of drop in tournament activity due to ranking points

A decrease in tournament activity is not seen in the available data. Often, the individual youth ranks change from season to season, depending on how large badminton cohorts move up. As a result, there may be slightly thinner vintages in between. Historically, however, it has corrected itself continuously, if you look at the available data that we have collected since the 1990s in relation to the current tournament activity at the given time.

Is a player’s level the player’s rank?

The extra category ‘LEVEL’ is only programmed so that a badminton player can compete in the same tournament in all 3 categories. It is calculated via a formula which marginally accommodates one’s best category. Not your singles category, but your highest ranked category. LEVEL is short for ENROLLMENT LEVEL and has nothing to do with one’s current ranking position. The same ranking can be seen in each of the 3 categories, where points are awarded based on wins and losses. There is no formula here that regulates one’s ranking.

• Conclusion: Based on the consultation, Badminton Denmark will remove the ‘point number’ at the LEVEL at the coming change of season, as it is not relevant other than as an indicator of one’s ‘letter’. The number of points is used in the DH tournament regulations, but it can be solved in another way. Badminton Denmark has already held a meeting with HU (Team Tournament Committee), and they can live with a solution under reporting the team sheets as an alternative. Badminton Denmark’s IT is looking at a concrete solution for the next change of season.
• Conclusion: Badminton Denmark is looking at whether we can rename ‘LEVEL’ to ‘ENROLLMENT LEVEL’ from the coming season. That way you might avoid some misunderstandings.

Points, points table and point mechanisms

There was a discussion about the number of points and the size of the number of points, including point adjustments

• Conclusion 1: A new common table for points has been created, thereby there is no longer a ‘small’ table for the youngest, and a ‘large’ table for the adult badminton players. The tables have now been merged into one table, which has made it much easier to see through. It is put into operation.
• Conclusion 2: There is a majority that ‘regulation points’ from an unexpected defeat are necessary for a live leaderboard where 2 players move in opposite directions after a given match. Badminton Denmark’s calculations also show that it is a great advantage that players move in both directions on the ranking list after unexpected defeats, and that it is not appropriate for only the winner to move, as it does not ensure equality to the same degree, but instead accommodates quantity. That is the more you play, the more you potentially move, where we achieve more equality by moving as it currently works.
• Conclusion 3: There is a majority in favor of abolishing ‘regulation points’ for everyone in the event of an expected defeat in all youth matches. They make up a smaller part of an individual regulation on the overall list, but are a source of great frustration for the individual youth players. There is no understanding that a youth player is points regulated when you lose to a player ranked higher in the rankings. Based on the hearing, Badminton Denmark is therefore removing regulation points for expected defeat in all youth matches per Monday 28 November with retroactive effect to the start of the season. It has subsequently also been debated in relevant working groups, and there is also agreement to remove regulation points for expected defeat in all youth matches. If it is a question of participation in senior matches or senior+ matches, there will still be points regulation as today. It doesn’t change. It is only in youth matches. Thus, 4 youth players who take part in a senior match against each other will be points regulated – however not if they meet in a youth match. Henceforth, it will be the activity you participate in that governs the points adjustment for expected defeat.

Senior+ players’ participation in senior team matches

There was talk about the participation of senior+ players in senior team matches, and that it is inappropriate that several senior+ players have too many points compared to their real badminton level, and therefore must be placed too high (above talented young senior players) when they participate in senior team matches.

• Conclusion: At the meeting, Badminton Denmark drew some figures on the extent of the potential problem. It is not a big problem, but there may be some inappropriateness in relation to young senior players. Based on the hearing, Badminton Danmark HU proposes that from the next season we equate the rules for placing U17/U19 players on senior teams with senior+ players 45+ and older. It has been presented to HU, and they agree with the conclusion. Badminton Denmark and HU will recommend the circles and others. to follow the same practice in their team tournament.

Alarm lists

There was talk about alert lists. An alert list is a method Badminton Denmark uses to catch inappropriate results, matches and rankings. Today, there is one alert list that finds everyone who has been involved in a match where the point difference is more than 500 points and where the result turns out to be an unexpected defeat/unexpected victory.

• Conclusion: Since a 500-point limit does not apply to all age groups and ranks, Badminton Denmark will, based on the consultation, create several fair warning lists based on individual age groups/ranks, so that we catch more inappropriate rankings and help them with an administrative regulation.

Should the ranking be split into several different rankings?

There was talk that individual groupings prefer to see their own grouping with its own list. For example, as previously lists with one for Youth, one for Elite, one for Senior+, one for Senior, one for various tournaments such as GP, etc. It has some advantages and a number of disadvantages. However, Badminton Denmark is of the belief that it is currently has far more disadvantages than advantages.

• Conclusion: The topic is put up for debate at an upcoming Joint Ranking Working Group meeting, so that it can be discussed and elucidated in more detail before a final conclusion is drawn.

Should the 3rd set count towards the ranking?

There was talk about letting the 3rd set count, so that, for example, a three-set match is regulated with 2/3 for victory and 1/3 for defeat.

• Conclusion: The topic is put up for debate at an upcoming Joint Ranking Working Group meeting, so that it can be discussed and elucidated in more detail before a final conclusion is drawn. Pt. do we not have a system that can take the 3rd set into account – it must be developed if necessary. And there must be a thorough discussion of the risk and the possibility of collusion. At the meeting, it was also a topic that divided the participants 50/50 for/against when we voted on the interest.

Possible cancellation before the first match in the category

Is it a good idea or a bad idea that you can now cancel before the first match is played in a given category in an open individual tournament without the risk of points adjustment in the given category? There was a short discussion about pros and cons.

• Conclusion: The subject is already being tested and during December, Badminton Denmark will look at the process and evaluate whether it should continue in the new year.

In Badminton Denmark, we are left with the feeling that it was a really good consultation with plenty of good input, cf. those mentioned above. It is definitely something we would like to do again for next year’s Denmark Open.

Many thanks to all the hearing participants for some good input, and we allow ourselves to share it all here in a news item, as there may be more people who are interested in the various conclusions from the hearing.

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