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Last night, in the Super 300 German Hylo Badminton Open quarterfinals, Taiwan’s Chou Tien Chen encountered a controversial call at a critical moment, eventually losing 13-21, 20-22 to Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke and missing out on the semifinals. The umpire ruled that the shuttle had touched the ground, deeming Chou Tien Chen’s return a fault.
During the second game, when Chou Tien Chen was leading 18-16, an intense rally unfolded. At a low defensive position, Chou received a smash, only to have the umpire suddenly rule the shuttle as having landed, awarding a point to Gemke. Chou Tien Chen immediately raised his hand in protest, and the service judge even indicated that Chou hadn’t committed a fault. However, despite intervention from the referee, the umpire stood by the call and denied a replay.
After the match, Chou Tien Chen voiced his frustration. He noted that the service judge had informed the umpire that he hadn’t committed an error, yet the umpire remained insistent. “I don’t understand why they treat players like this. Is the umpire’s pride more important than making the correct call? A fair ruling not only upholds authority but also encourages players to compete honestly, which is the true spirit of the Olympics.”
Chou Tien Chen also urged the Badminton World Federation (BWF) to invest more in referee training and equipment upgrades, like introducing Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology to reduce misjudgments. He emphasized that players shouldn’t always bear the burden of unfair decisions. “If referees make mistakes, they should be held accountable.”
Notably, Gemke also raised his hand in protest during the disputed call. Chou Tien Chen remarked, “Even my opponent said to me after the game, ‘Why does this always happen to you? The entire world could see it was a wrong call, but somehow, the umpire couldn’t.’”
This isn’t the first time Chou Tien Chen has experienced a questionable call. Two years ago, in the same venue, he faced a similar misjudgment.
Two years ago, at 22-all in the deciding game, Chou Tien Chen faced the same unfair call.
“At that time, the referee said only he and a journalist could review the replay with me. The footage clearly showed I didn’t commit a fault. The referee said he would report it to the BWF, and the journalist promised to send me the footage. But when I asked about it the next day, the journalist said he’d been threatened by the BWF to withhold it and avoid making it public—or else the city might lose the right to host future tournaments.”
In closing, Chou Tien Chen expressed hope that the BWF would focus more on addressing issues rather than sweeping them under the rug.
