Ranking and Seeding Explanation
Revised 1 January 2024 / BOD Approved 15 September 2018
1. Definition
The Provincial Ranking is a list of Alberta players/pairs in order of strength. There is one list for each of the five Badminton disciplines – men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles in each of six age categories – u11, u13, u15, u17, u19 and Open.
Key facts about the Alberta Provincial Ranking System are below.
Players:
· Gain ranking points by playing in tournaments that are graded.
· Gain ranking points by playing in and winning matches in tournaments.
· Receive more points the higher graded level of the tournament.
· Receive more points the further reached in a competition.
· Will be seeded based on their Provincial Ranking.
· May be selected to Team Alberta (or Team Alberta programs) based on Ranking.
2. Events included in the Provincial Rankings
The Rankings are compiled from the results of sanctioned tournaments that form the Provincial Circuit of Badminton Alberta held over the last 52-week period. All events eligible are graded and the details of the grade are published in the Alberta Calendar of Events.
Badminton Alberta will publish a separate Junior and Senior ranking list.
Provincial Ranking Lists
The Rankings are published on the Wednesday following each eligible event, or approximately every second week. The complete Provincial Ranking lists are available on the Badminton Alberta web site
3. Points system
Players/pairs gain points according to how far they progress in the draw of a particular event.
If a player/pair:
· Had a bye in the first round and lost in the second round – they receive first round loser’s points.
· Had a bye in the first round, won in the second round and lost in the third round – they receive third round loser’s points.
· Had a walkover in the first round and lost in the second round – they receive second round loser’s points.
· Had a bye in the first round, walkover in the second round and lost in the third round – they receive third round loser’s points.
4. Rankings (Column Explanation)
Definitions: the following terms will be utilized in conjunction with the Provincial Rankings.
Member ID – this number is a player’s identity and must be used consistently upon entering events to ensure the proper points are attached to every player. Players will receive a member ID upon becoming a member of Badminton Alberta and will maintain this number from one year to the next.
Points (P) – this column represents a player’s best three results of eligible tournament results. This column will be used to establish seeding for all Badminton Alberta sanctioned tournament and if team/tournament selection or a program opportunity is available. For example, if Badminton Alberta chose to select Under 15 athletes for a summer camp or circuit finals, they may utilize the U15’s best four circuit tournament results plus provincial championship points to arrive at the invitees. Another example would be selection for the Yonex Super 6 Finals, where athletes will be chosen to compete based on their rankings which will be determined using the athlete’s best three results from the eligible Yonex Alberta Series events.
Total Points (TP) – this column represents the total points from all eligible competitions earned within the ranking period.
Tournaments – this column lists the number of eligible tournaments a player has played within the circuit.
Tournament Average Points (TAP) – this column represents the Total Points divided by the number of eligible tournaments played within the ranking period.
5. Points lists
Players/pairs are ranked using points. The player/pair with the highest TAP will be ranked number one and so on.
If two or more players/pairs have identical points, then the player/pair who have played in the most tournaments will be ranked higher. If players/pairs have identical points and have played in an identical number of tournaments, then these players/pairs are ranked equal.
For example, if 5 players are ranked 1 to 5, and there are three players with equal points and equal number of tournaments in 6th, the ranking would be: 1,2,3,4,5,6,6,6,9,10, etc.
The table that follows show the points awarded in sanctioned tournaments. For 2023-24, rankings will only include points obtained from 1* to 5* graded tournaments. The only National circuit events included in Alberta rankings will be those played in Alberta (i.e. Canadian Junior Elite Series and Yonex Alberta Senior Elite Series).
Points won by: At a tournament graded
| Tournament Grade |
7* |
6* |
5* |
4* |
3* |
2* |
1* |
| Category |
International Event |
National Event |
National Series |
Provincial Championship
(including AJC Junior Gold Provincials)
|
YAS / AJC Gold Events
(including AJC Silver Junior Provincials)
|
AJC Silver Events |
Local Events (Including AB Masters) |
| Winner |
6000 |
5500 |
4000 |
3000 |
2000 |
1000 |
750 |
| Finalist |
5100 |
4675 |
3400 |
2550 |
1700 |
850 |
640 |
| Semi-finalist |
4200 |
3850 |
2800 |
2100 |
1400 |
700 |
525 |
| Quarter-finalist |
3300 |
3025 |
2200 |
1650 |
1100 |
550 |
415 |
| 9/16 |
2400 |
2200 |
1600 |
1200 |
800 |
400 |
300 |
| 17/32 |
1500 |
1375 |
1000 |
750 |
500 |
250 |
190 |
| 33/64 |
600 |
550 |
400 |
300 |
200 |
100 |
75 |
6. Seeding
The Badminton Alberta Ranking list will be used to determine the seeding of the tournaments on Badminton Alberta’s Calendar of Events including: Yonex Alberta Series (YAS), Yonex Alberta Junior Circuit (AJC), and Yonex Provincial Championships.
Singles
The seeds for singles events are decided using the Provincial Ranking list. (See below).
· A player’s POINTS (Best three results regardless of age category) will be used to determine the list order of seeds. Athletes playing up an age category will be able to use the result providing it is better than a result obtained within their own age category.
· If there is a tie between players, the player with higher TP (Total Points) will receive the higher seeded position.
· If there is still a tie, the player having won in a head to head encounter will receive the higher seeded position.
· If no head to head result is available, the player with the best result in the most recent event will receive the higher seeded position.
· If there is still a tie, a coin flip will determine the player who will receive the higher seeded position.
Doubles
The seeds for doubles and mixed doubles events are decided using the Provincial Ranking list. (See below).
· A pair’s POINTS (Best three results regardless of age category) will be added together to form a team total.
· A pair’s team combined POINTS will be used to determine the list of seeds with the team having the highest aggregate POINTS total receiving the highest seeded position.
· If there is a tie between pairs, the pair having played the greater number of TOTAL POINTS will receive the higher seeded position.
· If there is still a tie, the pair having played the greater number of combined tournaments will receive the higher seeded position.
· If there is still a tie, the team with the individual having the highest TAP will receive the higher seeded position.
· If there is still a tie, a coin flip will determine the team who will receive the higher seeded position.
FAQ
1. What happens at the beginning of a new season?
· Athletes that remain in an age category will use their existing points from the previous season for the first tournament in which they participate. For athletes moving up into an older age category, they will carry forward a percentage of the previous season points for use at the first tournament they contest in the new season. Athletes moving from Under 11 to Under 13, Under 13 to Under 15, and athletes moving from Under 17 to Under 19 will carry forward 40% of their POINTS. Athletes moving from Under 15 to Under 17 will carry forward 40% of their POINTS from the previous season (due to increased point availability of U17 athletes competing in a Canadian Junior Elite Series event included in the rankings.)
2. What happens when an athlete is injured and can’t play?
· No concessions will be made for injuries or absences.
3. What happens when an athlete plays in an older age category?
· It is assumed that the level of competition is stronger in each age category older than the previous, and therefore if an athlete obtains a result in an older age category, but does not have a result in their “real” age category, they will use the result of the older category for seeding in the younger age category.
If an athlete has a combination of results obtained within their respective age category and results obtained while playing up an age category or two, the athlete’s best three results within that discipline will be used to rank the athlete and seed accordingly.
4. Will points earned in an adult tournament count towards my age specific rankings?
· No, points must be earned in the specific general category (Junior vs. Senior) of the athlete for rankings.
5. What if an out of province player enters an Alberta competition?
· Badminton Alberta will do its best to find results for that player and provide NOTIONAL RANKING to protect the seeds for the event.
6. What if a player did not play an Alberta event in the previous season?
· Badminton Alberta will do its best to consult all relevant results involving Alberta athletes, including researching the past history of the player to arrive at a NOTIONAL RANKING to protect the seeds for the event. If possible a player receiving a NOTIONAL RANKING will not be seeded within the top 40% of the seeds, with the exception of reigning national champions, who will be seeded #1, regardless of their present POINTS total or activity level within Alberta events.
7. Why has Badminton Alberta moved away from seeding tournaments based on the AVERAGE TOTAL POINTS to calculating seeds from the TOTAL POINTS.
Having used the ATP for the past five years, it was determined that the use of ATP was having a negative impact on players competing in a large number of tournaments, and protecting the ATP of players competing in a low number of tournaments. For players obtaining a result at the national junior elite tournament held in Alberta, the value of that result was greater in value than that of a provincial circuit event, making it almost impossible for any other athlete to catch or surpass that result.
The use of an athlete’s best four results is seen as an opportunity for athletes to be rewarded for their achievement, but not penalized for a weak or substandard result.