By Olimatou Coker
The Badminton Confederation Africa (BCA) and the Gambia Badminton Association on Tuesday started rolling out the “Shuttle Time” event, which will host badminton action.
Shuttle Time lessons are designed to provide children with a positive image of badminton through many opportunities to have fun, engage with others.
The programme will run for a week and holding in a different country.
The GNOC House hosted the opening event, the intention being to make Gambia to be the hub of badminton action.
“The Badminton World Federation’s plan to make badminton available to as many young people as possible the “Shuttle Time” programme. This programmes’s main goal in The Gambia is to improve the skills of Physical Education (P.E.) teachers by giving them the tools and information they need to teach badminton well. This is how the program plans to promote badminton as a fun and educational sport for school kids, encouraging a love of sports and healthy living among the country’s young people,” the Badminton Association said.
Ahmed Reda, an official of BWF Shuttle Time tutor from Egypt, is leading the training classes.
He will use his knowledge and love of the sport to motivate teachers. His involvement shows how committed people are to sharing best practices and building capacity across countries, which is at the heart of the “Shuttle Time” programme.
“The P.E. Teachers who are taking part will get hands-on training and materials to help them start badminton programs in their schools this week. These classes will cover everything from basic skills and techniques to setting up school competitions and encouraging fair play,” Ahmed Reda said.
He said the “Shuttle Time” project is part of a bigger plan to use sports to bring about social change and growth, adding that the programme aims to encourage a new generation of players and fans by making badminton available to more kids and as well as teach values like discipline, teamwork, and persistence.
“In the coming days, the Gambia Badminton Association hopes that the event will positively impact more schools to include badminton in their sports programs, more young people to get active, and eventually, a stronger and healthier country,” he said.
