First AUthor:  Heather Parson

OFFICIATING in BADMINTON

The rules of any sport need officials to enforce them.  

In badminton, there are four main officials.

• Referee   The referee is the head hauncho of the badminton game.  He/She deals primarily with questions of law and is the go-to guy/gal if conflicts arise on the court, whether between the players, or the players and the umpire, etc.  The disputers confer with the referee and the referee makes the final call.  Problem solved.

• Umpire   The umpire is on the court ensuring safety and fairness, tracking score, and determining who wins.  The umpire has the final say of "in or out" regarding the shuttlecock, depending on the number of line judges. The umpire also watches for illegal serves.  If one is suspected, the service judge is brought onto the court for the rest of the match.^[1]

• Service Judge    Once the service judge is on the court, he or she remains there for the rest of the match to watch carefully for more illegal serves.  If one is called, the umpire reports it and appoints the next server.^[2]

• Line Judges   Badminton tournaments usually employ line judges, up to ten of them in fact, to stand around the court and watch for illegal line crossings, report them, and assist the umpire with making calls.  However, in big international tournaments such as the Olymics, all ten line judges are used and the umpire makes no line calls.

Laws of Badminton

FAULTS 

It shall be a "fault":

13.1 if a service is not correct (Law 9.1);

13.2 if, in service, the shuttle:

13.2.1 is caught on the net and remains suspended on its top;

13.2.2 after passing over the net, is caught in the net; or

13.2.3 is hit by the receiver's partner;

13.3 if in play, the shuttle:

13.3.1 lands outside the boundaries of the court (i.e. not on or within the boundary lines);

13.3.2 passes through or under the net;

13.3.3 fails to pass over the net;

13.3.4 touches the ceiling or side walls;

13.3.5 touches the person or dress of a player;

13.3.6 touches any other object or person outside the court; (Where necessary on account of the structure of the building, the local badminton authority may, subject to the right of veto of its Member Association, make bye-laws dealing with cases in which a shuttle touches an obstruction).

13.3.7 is caught and held on the racket and then slung during the execution of a stroke;

13.3.8 is hit twice in succession by the same player. However, a shuttle hitting the head and the stringed area of the racket in one stroke shall not be a "fault";

13.3.9 is hit by a player and the player's partner successively; or

13.3.10 touches a player's racket and does not travel towards the opponent's court;

13.4 if, in play, a player:

13.4.1 touches the net or its supports with racket, person or dress;

13.4.2 invades an opponent's court over the net with racket or person except that the striker may follow the shuttle over the net with the racket in the course of a stroke after the initial point of contact with the shuttle is on the striker's side of the net;

13.4.3 invades an opponent's court under the net with racket or person such that an opponent is obstructed or distracted; or

13.4.4 obstructs an opponent, i.e. prevents an opponent from making a legal stroke where the shuttle is followed over the net;

13.4.5 deliberately distracts an opponent by any action such as shouting or making gestures;

13.5 if a player is guilty of flagrant, repeated or persistent offences under Law

16

;