Shuttler Aaron welcomes Super 1000 boost
KUALA LUMPUR: Aaron Chia has welcomed the Badminton World Federation's (BWF) proposal to increase prize money for its Super 1000 tournaments, but is cautiously optimistic about other sweeping changes.
BWF aims to revamp four of its prestigious events — the All England, Indonesia Open, China Open and Malaysia Open.
From 2027, these majors are expected to be extended from the current six-day format to 11, which is aimed at improving player welfare and fan engagement.
Among the proposals are introducing an Olympic-style format — combining group stages with a knockout round — for singles events.
The proposed changes were outlined in an "Expression of Interest" document, briefly available on the BWF website. The document has since been taken down.
Aaron said: "Increasing the prize money is, of course, a good thing for all the players, and I hope they can increase it even more," said Aaron, who won the 2022 World Championships with Soh Wooi Yik.
"I think it's a good move, for sure. As for the other changes, we have to try them first and see how it goes."
Aaron said the 11-day format could benefit players as it would allow more recovery time for them between matches.
"It's better for players to have more rest and recovery before every match so that every player can perform well. But we haven't tried it yet, so let's see," he said.
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