In many parts of the world badminton is soon to be the new women’s tennis — at least according the Badminton World Federation, which took the first step toward raising its sport’s profile by requiring female players to wear skirts on the court.
The official outfit policy, which will take will take effect June 1 in time for this summer’s world championships, is “to ensure attractive presentation of badminton,” according to a statement by the Badminton World Federation, the sport’s international governing body.But athletes and women’s rights organizations are outraged by the rule. Groups from across the globe have come out against mandating hiked hemlines.
Opposition has come from all sides of the political and social spectrum, ranging from British Parliamentary leaders to the conservative Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party. The entire Badminton Asia Confederation has come out against the policy.
“It has never been the intention of the BWF to portray women as sexual objects, and nor is that what we are doing,” said Paisan Rangsikitpho, deputy president of the organization, in a statement on March 4.
Most sports have some form of mandatory dress codes, either for safety reasons, such as shin guards and helmets, or to protect against cheating, such as special suits in swimming. But critics say that this skirts-only policy has no relevance to the play of the game. Instead, they claim, it caters to a very particular western, heterosexual male audience that likes to see women’s long legs.
The role of sexuality is a constant debate in women’s sports, and athletes often have to walk a fine line between showing enough skin to attract sponsors but not becoming so scantily-clad that they lose respect as athletes (think Anna Kournikova).
The debate is further complicated by the fact that badminton is popular in countries with large Muslim populations, including India and Pakistan, where women athletes sometimes face a juggling act between their culture and their sport. Both countries have seen a large surge in women’s sports, including badminton, over the last decade, in part due to the influence of Indian tennis player Sania Mirza.
Some say that badminton’s new policy could make it more difficult for women athletes in Muslim countries to reconcile religion, culture and sport.
