Source:
REUTERS/ALAN BALDWIN
[Saba
Sports News] The 2024 French Badminton Open concluded with the men’s singles
final, where Chinese player Shi Yu Qi defeated Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn,
the reigning world champion, in straight games to claim the championship.
However, a serious referee error during the match became a hot topic among
netizens, sparking widespread criticism from fans. In the first game, when Shi
Yuqi was leading 9-4, Kunlavut scored a point from the backcourt. The score
should have become 5-9, but when the live broadcast signal replayed the
previous point, the score was mistakenly changed to 6-9 instead of 5-9. Some
fans speculated whether this happened because the next point was played too
quickly and the live replay was not finished before Kunlavut scored. However, a
video recorded by a spectator in the audience later disproved this theory.
After the score became 9-5, Shi Yuqi requested a ball change. When Kunlavut
received the new ball from the referee, the scoreboard on the sidelines
unexpectedly changed to 9-6. Fans speculated that the referee may have
accidentally awarded Kunlavut an extra point. Surprisingly, no one at the
venue, including the Chinese team’s sideline coach Sun Jun, raised any
objection to the score. This incident raised concerns about the referee’s professional
competence, as it was not the first time that point miscalculations have
occurred on the BWF Tour, leaving fans questioning the referees’ abilities.