Sudirman Cup to change format from next edition

India’s romp into Group 2 of the Sudirman Cup two days ago — after the 20-year-labouring wait — might just have been rendered irrelevant after the Badminton World Federation announced their decision to change the tournament format from the coming edition on Saturday. The new format — though its exact working is still being deliberated — is unlikely to consider the current positions,which means that this time’s relegations and promotions will in all likelihood not have any influence on the next edition. India,though,managed to get into the world top-16.

The new format will involve a group stage followed by a knock-out stage,and seedings will be made on the basis of world rankings.

“I’ll look at it positively. With the calibre of our players,we were never meant to be playing in Group 3 and are even better than some of the Group 2 teams,so this format can give us a chance to compete with the best,giving all teams a chance to win the trophy,” national coach P Gopichand said. “Hopefully we’ll have an even stronger squad with improved rankings before the next edition,” he added.