The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has announced plans to trial synthetic shuttlecocks in lower-tier tournaments, including junior international events, due to a shortage of duck and goose feathers. The shortage, driven by rising raw material costs in China, has led to shuttlecock prices more than doubling over the past year.
The trials form part of the BWF’s long-term strategy to assess whether synthetic shuttlecocks can be used at elite level competitions. While the federation has acknowledged the supply challenges, it maintains that the situation has not yet reached a crisis point.
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