Dubai: Some of the world’s best badminton players helped launch Shuttle Time Dubai at Dubai Sports World on Tuesday.
The Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) grassroots initiative forms part of the emirate’s recent four-year multi-platform partnership with the BWF.
Led by Dubai Sports Council and assisted by Falcon and Associates, Shuttle Time Dubai aims to promote badminton as a fun and social way of being active, regardless of age, ability and fitness level.
Initially targeting 40 schools, Shuttle Time Dubai will train more than 80 teachers on how to deliver safe and enjoyable badminton lessons to more than 3,000 students in Dubai between the ages of eight and 16. Schools will be supplied with all of the required equipment, including rackets, nets, suggested lesson plans and interactive learning material.
The first female Indian to win a medal at the World Championships, P.V. Sindhu, was present at the launch along with Japan’s Kenichi Tago, France’s Pi Hong-yan and Indonesian duo Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan. The players took part in exhibition matches, training drills and autograph sessions with players from local badminton clubs.
As part of a recent four-year agreement between the UAE and the BWF, the first of four annual season-ending BWF Destination Dubai World Super Series Finals will be held at the Hamdan Sports Complex from December 17-21. Dubai will also have naming rights for the Destination Dubai Rankings, which will be generated from points gathered on the 12-stage MetLife BWF World Super Series.
