DNVR-Sanctioned Rulebook

1.1 The umpire shall call service faults made by the server, should they occur

1.2 A line judge shall indicate whether a shuttle landed ‘in’ or ‘out’ on the line(s) assigned, and conduct the appropriate gesture

1.3 An official’s decision shall be final on all points of fact for which that official is responsible except that if

1.3.1 in the opinion of the umpire, it is beyond reasonable doubt that a line judge has clearly made a wrong call, the umpire shall overrule the decision of the line judge

1.5 An umpire shall:

1.5.1 be in charge of the match, the court and its immediate surroundings. The umpire shall report to the Referee;

1.5.2 uphold and enforce the Laws of Badminton and, especially, call a ‘fault’ or a ‘let’ should either occur;

1.5.3 give a decision on any appeal regarding a point of dispute, if made before the next service is delivered;

1.5.4 ensure players and spectators are kept informed of the progress of the match;

1.5.5 appoint or replace line judges or a service judge in consultation with the Referee;

1.5.6 carry out that official’s duties or play a ‘let,' when an appointed official is unsighted

1.5.7​​ keep track of warmup and intermission time

1.5.8 keep track of server positioning and placement

1.5.9 provide and approve shuttle replacement to active players​

1.6 An umpire's top priority is to ensure competitions are fair and efficient

1.7 Umpires administer DNVR Rules

1.8 Umpires manage court officials

1.9 Umpires overrule line judges' calls, if they have a clear line of sight

1.10 Umpires perform duties of service judge

2.1 In a correct service,

2.1.1 neither side shall cause undue delay to the delivery of the service once the server and the receiver are ready for the service 

2.1.2 on completion of the backward movement of the server’s racket head, any delay in the start of the service shall be considered to be an undue delay;

2.1.3 the server and the receiver shall stand within diagonally opposite service courts without touching the boundary lines of these service courts;

2.1.4 some part of both feet of the server and the receiver shall remain in contact with the surface of the court in a stationary position from the start of the service  until the service is delivered;

2.1.5 the server’s racket shall initially hit the base of the shuttle;

2.1.6 the whole shuttle shall be below the server’s waist at the instant of being hit by the server’s racket. The waist shall be considered to be an imaginary line round the body, level with the lowest part of the server’s bottom rib;

2.1.7 the shaft and the racket head of the server’s racket at the instant of hitting the shuttle shall be pointing in a downward direction;

2.1.8 the movement of the server’s racket shall continue forwards from the start of the service until the service is delivered;

2.1.9 the flight of the shuttle shall be upwards from the server’s racket to pass over the net so that, if not intercepted, it shall land in the receiver’s service court (i.e. on or within the boundary lines);

2.2 Once the players are ready for the service, the first forward movement of the server’s racket head shall be the start of the service

2.3 The receiver shall be ready to receive the serve no longer than five seconds after the server is set to begin the serving process. However, during consecutive serves and long rallies, judgement will be deferred to the umpire

2.3.1 The receiver shall be considered to have been ready if a return of the service is attempted

2.3.2 The server must begin the serving process no longer than three seconds after both teams are set

2.4 In doubles, during the delivery of service, the partners may take up any positions within their respective courts, which do not obstruct the opposing server or receiver's view

2.5 No player shall serve or receive out of turn, or receive two consecutive valid services in the same game

​2.6 If any player in the game is playing their initial game of the bracket, a two-minute maximum warmup period will be allowed, for the court. This time starts one minute after the team and court has been announced

2.7 The fault team defaults to return the shuttle within 1 foot of the opponent's short service line, in a respectful manner, immediately following each active point

​​​2.8 Players are allowed to cross onto the other side of the court, within reason, so long as it doesn't interfere with the opponents' ability to play the shuttle

​​2.9 Players are allowed to make non-contact interference in an attempt to disrupt the shuttle's flight path

2.10 If any player believes that a disruption is occurring, or will soon occur, it is the responsibility of the player to verbally achieve the umpire's attention using the call, "Ref!" However, the play must continue until the umpire has called and gestured for a replay

2.11 Players may only request a timeout if they have at least one timeout remaining

2.12 Players must be ready to play, no longer than five minutes after their names have been called

It shall be a ‘fault’:

3.1 if a service is not correct 

3.2 if, in play, the shuttle:

3.2.1 lands outside the boundaries of the court (i.e. not on or within the boundary lines);

3.2.2 fails to pass over the net;

3.2.3 touches the ceiling or side walls;

3.2.4 touches the person or clothing of a player;

3.2.5 touches any other object or person outside the court;

3.2.6 is caught and held on the racket and then slung during the execution of a stroke;

3.2.7 is hit twice in succession by the same player. However, a shuttle hitting the head and the stringed area of the racket in one stroke shall not be a ‘fault’;

3.2.8 is hit by a player and the player’s partner successively; or

3.2.9 touches a player’s racket and does not travel towards the opponent’s court;

3.3 if, in play, a player:

3.3.1 touches the net or its supports with racket, person, or clothing;

3.3.2 invades an opponent’s court over the net with racket or person except that the striker may follow the shuttle over the net with the racket in the course of a stroke after the initial point of contact with the shuttle is on the striker’s side of the net;

3.3.3 invades an opponent’s court under the net with racket or person such that an opponent is obstructed or distracted;

3.4 if a player is guilty of flagrant, repeated or persistent offences, as determined by the umpire

3.5 if a player commits a delay of game (as defined in Law 6.3)​​

3.6 players and/or their equipment make contact with the post(s) or net either during a live play or within 3 seconds after the play has ended. A play is considered dead once the shuttle makes contact with any unapproved surface

3.6.1 Unapproved surfaces include, but are not limited to: posts, body parts, ceiling and hanging contents, and equipment exterior to the court

3.7 if, during the serving process:

3.7.1 the servers feet are touching any line or space outside of the approved serving zone

3.7.2 the returner's feet are touching any line or space outside of the approved return zone

3.7.3 any part of the server's lower extremity moves prior to completion of the serving process

3.7.4 any of the opponents move in an excessively distracting manner

3.7.5 the server's racquet-head movements are not moving continuously forward once the serving process begins

4.1 A match shall consist of the best of three games, unless otherwise arranged

4.2 A game shall be won by the side which first scores 21 points, except as provided in Law 4.4 and 4.5

4.3 The side winning a rally shall add a point to its score. A side shall win a rally, if the opposing side commits a ‘fault’ or the shuttle ceases to be in play because it touches the surface inside the opponent’s court

4.4 During non-finals games, the side which reaches twenty-one points first shall win that game

4.5 During finals games:

4.5.1 If the score becomes 20-all, the side which gains a two point lead first, shall win that game

4.5.2 If the score becomes 24-all, the side scoring the twenty-fifth point shall win that game

4.6 The side winning a game shall serve first in the next game

5.1 It shall be a ‘let”, if:

5.1.1 during service, the receiver and the server are both faulted;

5.1.2 after the service is returned, the shuttle is:

5.1.2.1 caught on the net and remains suspended on its top, or

5.1.2.2 after passing over the net, is caught in the net;

5.1.3 during play, the shuttle disintegrates and the base completely separates from the rest of the shuttle;

5.1.4 in the opinion of the umpire, play is disrupted or a player of the opposing side is distracted by a coach;

5.1.5 a line judge's view is obstructed and the umpire is unable to make a decision; or

5.1.6 any unforeseen or accidental situation has occurred

5.2 When a ‘let’ occurs, play since the last service shall not count and the player who served last shall serve again

6.1 Intervals:

6.1.1 not exceeding sixty seconds between the first and second game, and between the second and third game shall be allowed in all matches

6.1.2 each team shall receive one thirty-second timeout per game

6.1.3 failure to adhere to interval time rules and restrictions will result in a fault

6.2 Suspension of Play:

6.2.1 When necessitated by circumstances not within the control of the players, the umpire may suspend play for such a period as the umpire may consider necessary

6.2.2 If play is suspended, the existing score shall stand and play shall be resumed from that point

6.3 Delay of Game:

6.3.1 Under no circumstances shall play be delayed to enable a player to recover strength or wind, hydrate, or to receive advice

6.3.2 Players must have a backup racquet that is specced to a comfortable setting. If/when a player breaks a string, no time will be allotted to test the racquet. The game will continue on once the racquet has been swapped.

6.3.3 The umpire shall be the sole judge of any delay in play

6.4 Receiving advice and leaving the court:

6.4.1 Only when the shuttle is not in play, shall a player be permitted to receive advice during a match

6.4.2 No player shall leave the court during a match without the umpire’s permission, except during the intervals as described in Law 6.1

6.5 A player shall not:

6.5.1 deliberately cause delay in, or suspension of, play;

6.5.2 deliberately modify or damage the shuttle in order to change its speed or its flight;

6.5.2.1 if any modifications to the shuttle must be made, the umpire must be notified, and will determine the validity of the request

6.5.3 behave in an offensive manner; or

6.5.4 be guilty of misconduct not otherwise covered by the Laws of Badminton

6.6 Administration of Breach:

6.6.1 The umpire shall administer any breach of Law 6.3.1, 6.4.2 or 6.5 by:

6.6.1.1 issuing a warning to the offending side; or

6.6.1.2 faulting the offending side, if previously warned; or

6.6.1.3 faulting the offending side in cases of flagrant offence or breach of Law 6.1

6.7 Substitutions are permitted if two conditions are met: one, the substitution is necessary due to a potentially serious medical condition and two, if the umpire has approved the substitution. If both conditions are not met, the game must be forfeited

6.7.1 Substitute must be of the same caliber as the player being replaced

6.8 The tempo of the game is determined by the serving team (refer to Law 2.3)

7.1 Voting will be open immediately prior to the start of the game

7.2 Voting will determine the initial server

7.3 Cheating and tampering with voting results will result in spectator expulsion from the event

8.1 Line judges will only officiate beginning with the playoffs, onward

8.2 Analytics officials will only collect data beginning with the playoffs, onward

8.3 Analytics ADs (advantages) include:

1. Kills - an offensive power shot that was not returned by the opposing team

2. Juke - an offensive non-power shot that was not touched by the opposing team

3. Smash defensive shot - a smash that was returned as an immediate point, or a return of high improbability (at the discretion of the official

8.4 Analytics DISes (disadvantages) include:

1. Service faults - any offensive service shot that immediately resulted in the opposing team's advantage

2. Active faults - any offensive shot that results in an immediate fault (e.g., miscalculated returns resulting in an immediate kill by opponent, out of bounds shot, whiff, etc.)

8.5 Spectator Rules:

8.5.1 Spectator engagement is encouraged once the shuttle has made contact with the opponent's racquet head, following a completed serving process

8.5.2 Spectators are not allowed to communicate with active players in an aggressive or taunting manner

8.5.3 Spectators are not allowed to disrupt players during the serve

8.6 If two personal fouls are accrued at any point during game day, the player is expelled from tournament participation, and potentially from the facility

8.7 Any excessive interference or verbal disrespect against any official or staff member will not be tolerated, and will result in an immediate expulsion from the event

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