The neglected sport: Badminton: Little room for courts in the country

Three sponsored players leave for Malaysia to get month-long training

MINGORA: Without any help from sporting authorities, three emerging badminton players from Swat left for Kuala Lampur, Malaysia on Wednesday for a month-long professional training.

The initiative of sending the badminton players  was taken by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Badminton Association President Zafar Ali. The three players Abdul Basit, Faisal Saeed and Shahid Ahmad from Swat would get a month’s professional training in Malaysia; albeit on Ali and his friends’ penny.

Stepped up

While speaking to The Express Tribune, Ali said, “Since I studied the government structure for sports, I concluded there is mismanagement and misuse of funds and facilities. It does not polish talent, which is being wasted.” He said wealth of talent in badminton forced him to take matters into his own hands.

“I urged some friends and collected money from them to sponsor these three players and send them to Malaysia for training,” he said. “If the experiment is successful, we will extend the programme and send more players to further the country’s sporting interest.”

He said although badminton is played in Pakistan, there are no professional training opportunities. He pointed out, “India is promoting badminton as it hired international coaches and has constructed international level courts.” Ali said Indian players clinched top positions in international badminton competitions.



He said Pakistani players could only be brought at par with international standards if capable coaches are hired on a permanent basis.

“We have talent for every sport, including badminton. If emerging players are given opportunities, they can outshine other countries’s players,” he claimed.

Meanwhile, the players seemed excited about their trip to Malaysia which is one of the best countries for badminton. Faisal Saeed and Shahid Ahmad told The Express Tribune they hoped to get professional training in Malaysia and then represent the country on an international level.

Among the three players, Abdul Basit had earlier represented Pakistan at the Asian Junior Championship held in Thailand. “Badminton needs professional level training,” he stressed.

“Professional training is indispensable for badminton on an international level. I am sure the month-long professional training will boost the capabilities of players and we will earn a good name for Pakistan.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2016.