Rexy Mainaky, the national coaching director, is urging the Badminton World Federation (BWF) to reconsider its rules regarding medical treatment for players during tournaments.
His comments follow an incident at the China Open final on Sunday. The tournament referee permitted local medical staff to treat men’s doubles player Ren Xiangyu after he injured his back in a match against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani. This decision raised concerns, as BWF rules typically restrict treatment to medical personnel assigned by the governing body.
Xiangyu returned to compete but ultimately lost the match alongside He Jiting. While Rexy acknowledged that the treatment was against the rules, he believes it highlights the need for BWF to review its policies on player care.
Rexy suggested that BWF should allow all countries to have their medical teams treat players during matches. He referenced the tragic case of 17-year-old Zhang Zhijie, who collapsed during a match at the Asian Junior Championships in July and later died after delayed medical attention.
He speculated that the tournament referee at the China Open might have considered Zhijie’s situation when allowing Xiangyu’s treatment. “Perhaps BWF learned from what happened to Zhijie and feared that if they did not allow an expert to treat Xiangyu, his condition could worsen,” Rexy said.
He emphasized the need for standardized medical treatment, arguing that it seems unfair for such exceptions to apply only in China. “If this situation occurred in Hong Kong or Korea, would the referee make the same decision?” he questioned.
Rexy proposed that BWF hold discussions with representatives from all national associations to agree on a new protocol. He believes that if all countries permit their team doctors to treat players, BWF would not be held accountable for player health issues.
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