<p> Taking a cue from tennis, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) has introduced a new dress code, which comes into effect from May 1 and requires all female players to wear skirts or dresses in Grand Prix tournaments and above "to ensure attractive presentation of badminton".</p>.<p> Players may continue to wear shorts if they wish to but it has be underneath a skirt, as some shuttlers already do.</p>.<p> Those affected by the new regulation would include Saina Nehwal, top seed in the April 26-May 1 Indian Super Series, even though the world number three is not losing sleep over the issue.</p>.<p> "I think its okay. Playing in skirts is not an issue," Nehwal told Reuters in a text message.</p>.<p> While the BWF hopes the move will bring more fans to the sport and rope in more sponsors, everybody is not convinced it's the right way forward.</p>.<p> Jwala Gutta, Indian badminton's glamour girl, has no qualms about playing in a skirt but does not support the governing body's idea of making it compulsory.</p>.<p> "I have no problems because I wear skirts on and off the court. I think they are just trying to glamourise the sport," said the doubles specialist.</p>.<p> "But I don't think it's the right way. You can't pressurise anybody to wear anything. What kind of clothes a person wears is totally up to them. It's totally a personal choice," said the 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist.</p>.<p> Gutta, 27, stopped short of calling the move wrong but had some advice for the BWF too.</p>.<p> "You can't force anyone to become more glamourous. Probably, they can ask the sponsors to design better clothing like the tennis girls wear," she quipped.</p>.<p> "They should make nice dresses like what (Maria) Sharapova wears and so we can wear such clothes. I am ready to try and I am sure lots of girls will be ready to try too."</p>.<p> The new dress code also met opposition from shuttlers in Indonesia where two-time mixed doubles world champion Lilyana Natsir said she wore skirts and dresses only on special occasions but never in tournaments.</p>.<p> "Skirts hamper my movement when I play," 25-year old Natsir, who has started sporting a skirt during training but with shorts underneath it, was quoted as saying by the Jakarta Globe.</p>
<p> Taking a cue from tennis, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) has introduced a new dress code, which comes into effect from May 1 and requires all female players to wear skirts or dresses in Grand Prix tournaments and above "to ensure attractive presentation of badminton".</p>.<p> Players may continue to wear shorts if they wish to but it has be underneath a skirt, as some shuttlers already do.</p>.<p> Those affected by the new regulation would include Saina Nehwal, top seed in the April 26-May 1 Indian Super Series, even though the world number three is not losing sleep over the issue.</p>.<p> "I think its okay. Playing in skirts is not an issue," Nehwal told Reuters in a text message.</p>.<p> While the BWF hopes the move will bring more fans to the sport and rope in more sponsors, everybody is not convinced it's the right way forward.</p>.<p> Jwala Gutta, Indian badminton's glamour girl, has no qualms about playing in a skirt but does not support the governing body's idea of making it compulsory.</p>.<p> "I have no problems because I wear skirts on and off the court. I think they are just trying to glamourise the sport," said the doubles specialist.</p>.<p> "But I don't think it's the right way. You can't pressurise anybody to wear anything. What kind of clothes a person wears is totally up to them. It's totally a personal choice," said the 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist.</p>.<p> Gutta, 27, stopped short of calling the move wrong but had some advice for the BWF too.</p>.<p> "You can't force anyone to become more glamourous. Probably, they can ask the sponsors to design better clothing like the tennis girls wear," she quipped.</p>.<p> "They should make nice dresses like what (Maria) Sharapova wears and so we can wear such clothes. I am ready to try and I am sure lots of girls will be ready to try too."</p>.<p> The new dress code also met opposition from shuttlers in Indonesia where two-time mixed doubles world champion Lilyana Natsir said she wore skirts and dresses only on special occasions but never in tournaments.</p>.<p> "Skirts hamper my movement when I play," 25-year old Natsir, who has started sporting a skirt during training but with shorts underneath it, was quoted as saying by the Jakarta Globe.</p>