New Delhi: A new rule that makes wearing of
skirts on court mandatory for female badminton players has not
gone down well with the National Commission for Women (NCW)
and other women groups which termed it as "wrong" and
"reflective of reactionary and patriarchal mindset".
Opposing the new rule, which BWF said was to boost the
sport's profile among viewers and will come into effect from
next month, NCW's acting-chairperson Yasmin Abrar told PTI
that "forcing a dress code for making the game attractive is
wrong. Sports should be treated as sports and viewed as
sports...If need be, we will write to the BWF."
"What is important is your performance and how you
play...not what you wear," she said.
The BWF had in 2009 introduced a new dress code which
requires all female players to wear skirts "to ensure
attractive presentation of badminton".
AIDWA General Secretary Sudha Sundaraman was more
strident in her criticism.
"We will certainly dispatch a letter to BWF against the
rule which is a reflective of reactionary and patriarchal
mindset. The performance of the players should be important
and not what they wear. Players should be given the right to
choose what they wear," she said.
BWF's new rule is a step to glamourise badminton like
tennis but has created a furore in India with some former and
current players saying such an "unfair" move could discourage
girls from taking up the sport.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, April 19, 2011, 18:42