Annual World Badminton Championship is good for the sport: Saina Nehwal

India's top-ranked player at the World Badminton Championship that kicks off in Hyderabad today, Saina Nehwal believes the World Badminton Federation's idea of organising the championship annually is the best way to ensure that the global competition in the sport remains of the highest quality.

Ever since the World Championship was made an annual affair in 2005 (since its inception in 1977 the Championship was held every three years until 1983, after which, it became a biennial event before it was changed again in 2005 and is held annually except in the year of the Olympics) some of the veteran players and experts have suggested that the tournament will lose its charm if held every year. The latest to join the critics' bandwagon is former World and Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia, who said that the Championship should be held once in three or four years or as a biennial event.

However, World No 6 Nehwal disagrees. "Taufik may be saying that because he has the won the tournament before. But, there are so many players who still want to be world champions. An annual tournament will give many more the chance to be the world's best," Nehwal told MiD DAY from Hyderabad yesterday after her final practice session on the eve of the Championship. The 19-year-old felt that in no way was the tournament's importance diluted given its increased frequency. "Great tournaments like Wimbledon and all the other tennis slams are held once a year. No one has seen their value go down.

"The annual tournament is particularly beneficial to young players because if a youngster misses out on the world title in one year, he/she has enough opportunities to try and win it in the future. This will only ensure that players work harder each year.

"I would love to see a new world champion every year," added Nehwal.