What happens when sports rules go awry?

As Wimbledon quarter finals beckon and the semi-finals of are about to kick off, operational research scientists have been looking at what happens when the rules of sport are changed or when existing rules lead to unforeseen consequences. They've been assessing how administrators and supporters deal with these situations and if their decision making could be better informed. The research was carried out by Professor Graham Kendall , at The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (UNMC) and Dr Liam Lenten , at La Trobe University in Australia. They are operational research and economics scientists - experts in the use of advanced analytical techniques to improve decision making - and their findings have just been published online in the European Journal of Operational Research . The study was carried out in response to a recent analysis of sporting rules which called for more research to consider the rules of sports and tournaments and whether changes have led to unintended consequences. Professor Kendall and Dr Lenten looked at specific examples of where the rules have led to unforeseen and/or unwanted consequences. Professor Kendall said: "We compiled cases of ill-conceived rules which caused perverse unintended consequences.