Good morning and warm greetings. With reference to the email exchanges, and based on personal experience, player and parent feedbacks received as well as feedback received from Technical Officials and few State Associations during my tenure, here are a few thoughts / suggestions for your kind consideration and possible future implementation:
1. Walkover Fee Collection
Organisers are facing revenue losses each time as there is no proper system in place to collect walkover penalties / fees from players. During my tenure itself, we faced losses of around 15 lakhs plus across various tournaments, and many host Associations have faced similar losses. This issue has not been addressed so far and needs urgent attention /remedial measures.
2. Online Central Entry System
A centralized online system for player entries (and payments) can be introduced for State Associations that are willing to adopt it. This would significantly reduce the administrative burden on State and District Secretaries, allowing them to devote more time to the development and promotion of badminton in their regions.
A similar online platform has already been successfully implemented for BAI ID renewals and has received positive feedback from multiple State Associations. Expanding this model to include National Ranking tournament entries will help address recurring issues such as missing entries, incorrect player or partner details, and data entry errors, which often occur due to the heavy workload associated with manual processing.
I commend BAI for its implementation of the system for BAI ID renewals and respectfully suggest that a similar mechanism be considered for tournament entries at the national level. At the same time, Associations preferring the traditional manual system may be given the flexibility to continue using it, ensuring a smooth and inclusive transition.
3. Early Draws and Schedules
Tournament draws and match schedules should be made and shared in the morning one day before the tournament starts, instead of in the evening session. This can give players and parents enough time for planning. For this purpose, Referee and Match controller can arrive two days prior instead on one day prior.
4. Online Payments
Our experience of using online payments has been extremely good and feedback received from all quarters is very postive. Using digital payments brings more transparency and seamless convenience. It also reduces crowding at the venue and make things smoother for both players and organisers. The Government of India is also encouraging digital transactions, so this is a step in the right direction and needs to be encouraged or even made mandatory going forward.
5. Refund and Withdrawal Policy
A clear and uniform policy should be introduced for player withdrawals and refunds. Players who withdraw after the deadline should not be eligible for a refund, to ensure fairness and protect organisers from revenue losses.
Feedback may also be invited from other host associations and key stakeholders across the country to refine and improve the system based on practical experiences from the ground. While some associations may initially have reservations, it is important that the broader progress of digital transformation is not hindered by such resistance. Those associations that are ready and willing to adopt a more seamless and efficient digital system should be given the opportunity to do so, in alignment with modern best practices and technological advancements.
(The writer is the former Secretary of Goa Badminton Association, a member of the Age Verification committee of the BAI and has served as Organising Secretary of various All India Badminton Ranking during the last 8 years. Views expressed herein above are personal.)
