Since its launch, Shuttle Time Schools Programme has trained and certified 98 Teachers in Senegal. A total of 17,498 children (7,098 boys and 10,400 girls) have also experienced the programme.
A year later, a programme called ’48 Hours of Badminton at School’ was carried out in its capital city of Dakar.
Held on the 26-27 March 2022 weekend, it gave the Comite National de Promotion du Badminton Au Senegal (CNPB Senegal) an opportunity to evaluate the work of the coaches – public and private school teachers who had been trained under Shuttle Time – and at the same time motivate and encourage young students to practice badminton for life.
An open AirBadminton practice session, which included children with intellectual or motor deficiency, allowed the Teachers and Tutors a chance to get themselves updated with the specifics of the outdoor game.
These activities brought together nearly 30 Teachers and Tutors and more than 50 young competitors (30 boys and 20 girls) from 15 schools in five regions of the country for the event’s first edition. Athletes of Special Olympics Senegal were also invited.
The day after the retraining of the coaches, the national school competition took place. Eligible athletes were selected after regional inter-school tournaments. The competition was also an avenue for talent-hunting ahead of the 2026 Youth Olympic Games, which Dakar will host.
For Shuttle Time National Coordinator of Senegal, Adrame Ndiaye, it was important to hold these games between young badminton students because competition is a motivating factor and encourages the continuity of sports and therefore badminton.
