A day earlier, the BCA had organised an AirBadminton Umpires Course which was delivered by BWF semi-professional umpire Diraj Gooneadry and BCA Secretary General Sahir Edoo. The course was attended by 25 national umpires.
After making an impact at several places around the world, AirBadminton’s arrival in Africa happened with a friendly team relay competition at the University of Mauritius on 15 December 2020.
The event, organised by Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in collaboration with Mauritius Badminton Association (MBA) and the University of Mauritius, had six teams, which had several players from the national team. Each team was composed of men and women players. The day-long competition saw the players engaging spiritedly in the new outdoor game, which has quickly captured the hearts of fans worldwide.
The winners, from the University of Mauritius, returned home with gold medals and trophies.
“We had so much fun today. It’s different from normal badminton which we practice indoors. But I am sure that AirBadminton will be an amazing sport for everyone,” said Georges Julien Paul, Africa’s top men’s singles player.
Sharma Nundah, President of Mauritius Badminton Association, hailed AirBadminton as a great sport for Mauritius, particularly as the country had ideal locations to play in.
“AirBadminton is so nice and suitable for everyone. We in Mauritius have a great opportunity to implement and develop it as we have so many nice beaches. I think it will be the main beach and summer sport in our country,” said Nundah.
Sahir Edoo, Secretary General of BCA, was optimistic about the AirBadminton’s journey in Africa.
“We are happy today for the successful launch of AirBadminton here in Mauritius. The competition was very nice and everything was perfect. We hope in the next few months to see more African countries playing and enjoying the new outdoor game,” said Edoo.
