Badminton to trial synthetic shuttlecocks because of feather shortageKUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Badminton will trial synthetic shuttlecocks at lower-grade tournaments with a view to potentially using them at elite level, the sport's governing body said, because of a shortage of duck and goose feathers. The BWF said it would use synthetic shuttlecocks at selected events including junior international tournaments. "This initiative forms part of BWF's long?term approach to evaluating synthetic feather shuttlecocks for potential use at the elite level," it said in a statement. "This information will support BWF's ongoing assessment and inform future decisions regarding the potential use of synthetic shuttlecocks at top?tier tournaments." There is also growing demand for shuttlecocks because of the popularity of badminton in China, manufacturers told AFP.

Source: Philippine Star April 09, 2026 02:20 UTC