BWF extends ban on 'spin serve' until after Paris 2024 Paralympics

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) announced on Monday that the apex body would extend its ban on the 'spin serve' until after the 2024 Paris Paralympics, which is set to end in September, 2024. The 2024 Olympics, on the other hand, is scheduled to be held between July 26 and August 11, 2024.

The BWF had put an interim ban on the 'spin serve' back on May 12, which was effective up until May 29, 2023. This included tournaments such as the Sudirman Cup and the recently concluded Malaysia Masters. With the extension of the ban, the rule will also be applicable to the upcoming Thailand Open.

The reason the ban has been extended for another 15 months is so that the qualifying tournaments for the Olympics and Paralympics, as well as the Games themselves, aren't affected, the BWF cited after due dialogue with the badminton community across the globe.

BWF Secretary General Thomas Lund commented, “BWF welcomed innovation in badminton.” He added, “More evidence was needed on the potential effects of the serve before introducing it full scale," as told to the BWF website.