Badminton set to flourish in PNG

 BADMINTON is set to blossom in Papua New Guinea, according to Badminton Oceania development manager Nadia Bleaken. 

Badminton Oceania is hosting its Pacific Player Development Camp in Auckland, New Zealand, with players from Guam, New Caledonia, Tahiti and Tonga in attendance this week. 

Bleaken said the future for Badminton in Papua New Guinea was bright, with the country full of potential.

“I visited PPNG in 2011, just after the Pacific Games in New Caledonia, and we know there are a lot of people playing badminton there,” Bleaken said.

“We are working on establishing a national federation and are going  through the process of membership with the Badminton World Federation (BWF).

“Once that’s complete, then we have them in our plans for 2016. 

“The BWF Shuttle Time school badminton would be the main programme,” she said.

“During my visit to schools, we discovered that people were keen and we want to initiate a programme in Port Moresby — for starters.

“We would then do the same around the country to give teachers the skills and confidence to deliver the programmes to children and youth.

“PNG is a sleeping giant and it was exciting to see how successful the Pacific Games were last year .

“It will be great to have Badminton PNG on board,” Bleaken said.

Bleaken said there were high hopes at the BWF for Papua New Guinea to formalise its inclusion at future events.