As part of its efforts, the Nigerian Badminton Federation organized a school badminton champion last Saturday at the Martial Arts Academy in Niamey. The event, organized in collaboration with the administration of the schools of the Catholic Mission of Niger, recorded the participation of the general director of sports, the general director of the mission schools and the administrators of the girls’ mission school of Niamey as well as the President of the Niger Paralympic Federation and President of the Niamey Regional League.
The competitions pitted the students of the girls’ mission school in Niamey against each other for two weeks in single and double matches. At the end of the confrontations, four teams were selected for the two finals which took place in front of an audience made up of distinguished guests and parents of students who came to support their children. It was in a friendly and good-natured atmosphere that the pupils of the girls’ mission school competed in talent to obtain the prizes put into play by the FENIBAD directed by its president Mr. Abdoulaye Issoufou. In the speech he delivered on this occasion, the Director General of Catholic Mission Schools of Niamey welcomed the initiative of FENIBAD to have chosen their school to promote badminton in schools. He expressed the hope that this competition will serve as an emulation for young people to take an interest in this Olympic discipline which is making its way in Niger. The President of FENIBAD meanwhile wished that badminton be included in the curriculum of Nigerien schools, explaining that in some countries like France badminton is part of the sports disciplines at the baccalaureate. Niger, which took its first steps in badminton in 2016, is already in the concert of nations, he said, explaining that our country made a very good performance at the Paralympic badminton championship held in Uganda by obtaining a medal. bronze. In addition, young Nigeriens have distinguished themselves through several participations in international competitions and training courses in China which have allowed them to be in certain international bodies. At the end of the competitions, FENIBAD offered badminton kits to all the students who reached the final. In addition to the school championship, the federation organized a professional championship which pitted young Nigeriens against each other. It should be remembered that within the framework of the promotion of this sports discipline, FENIBAD organizes each year an event called “Shuttle Time” during which it trains teachers of physical education and sports and young people in the regions of our country. The last edition of Shuttle Time took place in the Diffa region.
Omar Abdou(trainee)
