Stupa Sports, the Gurugram-based sports technology company, announced on March 20, 2026 that its AI-powered Instant Review System (IRS) has received official certification from the Badminton World Federation (BWF) for deployment at all its sanctioned tournaments. The certification follows a rigorous homologation process that concluded in December 2025, and BWF has subsequently added the Stupa IRS to its Equipment Approval Scheme — opening the door to rapid global adoption across Continental Confederations.
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Stupa Sports IRS: BWF Certification at a Glance
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| System | AI-powered Instant Review System (IRS) |
| Certifying Body | Badminton World Federation (BWF) |
| Accuracy Achieved | 99% (vs 98% required benchmark) |
| Testing Period | September–December 2025 |
| Deployment Scope | All BWF sanctioned tournaments + Continental Confederations |
| Technology | Multi-camera Computer Vision + shuttle trajectory tracking |
| Other Sports Active | Pickleball, Volleyball, Padel, Table Tennis |
Why 99% Accuracy Against a 98% Benchmark Matters
The BWF’s homologation process isn’t a formality — it’s a rigorous evaluation designed to ensure that any review technology can make accurate line calls under tournament-level conditions consistently. Clearing 98% is the threshold. Stupa’s IRS hit 99%, confirmed by BWF’s Events Director-Technical Operations Christopher Trenholme in an official letter to Stupa CEO Megha Gambhir.
That 1% margin might sound small, but in a sport played at speeds where shuttlecocks travel upward of 300 km/h at the professional level, the difference between a correct and incorrect line call can decide championships. The system achieves this by deploying multiple high-speed cameras strategically positioned around the court, with Computer Vision models processing the live feed in real time to track the shuttle’s complete trajectory and calculate precise landing coordinates. The output — a clear, data-backed decision — is delivered instantly to officials and players.
The Access Gap This Solves
Existing review technologies in badminton have historically been expensive, requiring significant infrastructure investment and complex on-site setups that put them out of reach for smaller tournaments, developing market competitions, and lower-tier events. Stupa’s IRS is specifically engineered for quick deployment with minimal equipment — at a fraction of the cost of traditional solutions — without compromising on precision. The BWF’s decision to notify its Continental Confederations directly about availability signals that this isn’t just a certification; it’s a distribution push into markets that couldn’t access review technology before.
Stupa is already live across multiple sports — Pickleball Champions League Asia Finals, Prime Volleyball League, Major League Table Tennis, and the Generali Hexagon Cup Padel — making the BWF certification a validation of technology that’s already proven in real tournament environments. For more AI and sports tech coverage, check out TechnoSports’ tech section.
FAQs
What accuracy rate did Stupa Sports’ IRS achieve in BWF testing?
99% accuracy — exceeding BWF’s required benchmark of 98%, as confirmed in an official letter from the BWF Events Director.
Can smaller badminton tournaments now use the Stupa IRS?
Yes — the system is specifically designed for low-cost, quick deployment, making professional-grade review technology accessible to tournaments that couldn’t afford traditional solutions.
