The BWF just announced that they will be introducing a new line call challenge system at this year's Indonesia Open, which will involve high speed cameras and a new twist to the game. Coming from a player, I think it's a great idea to use the aide of technology when dealing with something black and white like line calls, however a small part of me is hesitant to embrace it.
I'm not sure if it's the traditionalist in me (if that's a thing) that appreciates the human aspect of honest-to-goodness people calling the lines as best as they can. Sure, mistakes will be made, but it goes both ways. Even review technology isn't perfect. Sometimes the camera's view might get obstructed and all you have to go by is the original line call and the umpire's judgement.
Something bothers me about, in the middle of a game, a player stopping, thinking about a line call, taking a moment, challenging the call, sipping on water waiting for the result to come in, and then finally resuming play... It's like a sentence that gets dragged out too long with a bunch of commas. Hopefully the "instant challenge" of a line call won't take more than 5 seconds, so players can't use it to stall an opponent's momentum too much, and hopefully there will be a reasonable limit on the number of challenges a player/team is allowed. However, a review system would eliminate complaining about a line call, because all the umpire would need to say is "then just challenge it." This added degree of certainty to the game seems like it might at least keep the players in check.
Anyways, I'm sure we'll find out soon enough how this new system will affect the game. Football, Basketball, and our arch-rival, tennis, are all successful sports that use review technology, so I think it will be a good move for the sport. I know I'll be looking forward even more to the Indonesian Open to see the new system in action, and what the players' and fans' reactions are.
Keep it real, and have badmin-tons of fun today!
