Umuahia (Nigeria): Over 150 athletes from 13 countries are set to compete for laurels in various categories at the First Abia Para Badminton International and All-African Para Badminton Championships.
The Commissioner for Sports and Youth Development, Mr Nwaobilor Ananaba, disclosed this at a news conference in Umuahia on Sunday.
Ananaba, represented by Mr Raymond Ukwa, the Special Assistant to the Abia Governor on Sports, confirmed the state’s readiness for the two events that would hold simultaneously.
He said that the first event would take place between September 30 and October 5, while the second, the All-African Para Badminton Championship, would commence on October 6 and end on October 12.
Ananaba stated that the state had been preparing over the past few months to host the two critical events at the International Conference Centre, Umuahia.
“How are we prepared as a state? In Abia today, we have the best playing mats, especially the wheelchair playing mats, which are the first of their kind in West Africa, to speak the least.
“When you’re able to go around, you’ll see the hall and the preparation that has been made to ensure that people have an equitable playing field, and of course, that is also world-class,” he said.
Abia earlier hosted the 5th National Para-Badminton Championship from July 14 to 17 at the same venue.
Also speaking, Mr Samuel Ekeoma, a member of the Local Organising Committee and National Coordinator of the Para Badminton Association of Nigeria, stated that the athletes would be competing in six categories, both for males and females.
Ekeoma, who doubles as the Second Vice President of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), listed Brazil, Peru, Egypt, Tunisia, Rwanda, Cameroon, and Zimbabwe among the participating nations.
In a remark, the President of BFN, Francis Orbih, lauded Gov. Alex Otti of Abia for the commitment and massive investment to ensure the successful historic events.
Orbih said that in addition to the two events, the state was also hosting a Para Badminton workshop for coaches and players from African countries.
He stated that participants would be assessed, adding that those who passed the assessment would receive certificates for completing the workshop.
“So it’s a preeminent development for us as a country because what it means is that after this, we are going to have more competent and well-equipped coaches for Para Badminton,” Orbih said.
Mr Jeff Shigoli, the CEO of the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA), expressed satisfaction with the level of preparation by the state government.
He said that Nigeria was debuting as the third African country to host para activities, after Uganda and Egypt.
Shigoli thanked the Badminton World Federation (BWF) for providing significant support to ensure the success of the two tournaments.
“We have members of the classifier team from the BWF that have been sent specifically to ensure players have been classified to be able to compete for these championships,” he said.
A member of BWF, Dr Ahmed Reda, remarked that Nigeria, as a host, had over 40 players that were being classified.
“These players are qualified and can participate in these two events, and going forward, they will be able to participate in any international event anywhere in the world,” he said.
