While young people worldwide are engaged in badminton through the Shuttle Time schools programme, BWF’s educational work with younger players merits attention on International Youth Day.
BWF in collaboration with World Academy of Sport (WaoS) launched a new cycle of scholarships for BWF-WAoS Athlete Certificate Scholarship. A course designed for aspiring young athletes between the ages of 15 and 18 who want to learn more about the skills required to become successful and knowledgeable athletes.
The programme offers athletes a unique opportunity for those pursuing dual careers and have decided to continue their studies without giving up their peak athletic careers. Additionally, it gives talent already working in the badminton community the chance to pick up new abilities.
This year, BWF received 114 applications across 35 countries, and five continents from players that are currently competing in BWF sanctioned tournaments or at a national level. 44 females and 70 males will undertake the Athlete Certificate Scholarship alongside their professional playing careers, beginning in September. It is the first time the programme will feature such a variety of students from multicultural backgrounds.
Hunuman (centre) from Mauritius says the Athlete Certificate course will help him on and off the badminton court.
Pravish Hanuman, 17, from Mauritius, is one recipient of the programme.
Speaking to BWF, he said:
“The course looks to be every interesting and helpful to me. I think the course will help my badminton skills on and off the court. The key for me is discipline. You should plan your time well and in a fair way for both studying and badminton. All your focus must be on badminton when you are training and the same applies to studying. I would love a job related to badminton in the future.
“Badminton is a sport with so many challenges, moves, and tricks and it’s really brilliant.”
Appenzeller hopes the course will help set her up for a professional career in badminton.
Since 2020, 222 young athletes (121 boys and 101 girls) from 63 countries have benefitted from the scholarship.
Vera Appenzeller, also 17, from Switzerland, remarked how amazed she felt about her acceptance.
“I’m really happy that I have a place on the programme. I think it’s really important for the youth of today to study and be involved with the sport of badminton and I’m hoping I can inspire others to take up studies too.
The course offered by BWF, I think it will help athletes find their way along their playing career path. It will not only deal with situations that arise in sport, but also how you manage yourself in everyday life that are crucial points for every player and I think you can’t start early enough to build a structure that gives you the support you need. I am really hoping to gain insights into sports management so I can better equip myself for my professional career.
“Badminton means the world to me. What struck me about it, was the fun and energy I found in training. I was fascinated by the power of every movement and how small changes could influence the shuttle. I knew then that I wanted to be as good as the best players in the world since I started playing.”
The theme for International Youth Day 2022 is Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages. To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the world needs to leverage the full potential of all generations. The annual observance looks to recognise and mainstream the voices, efforts, and actions of young people as well as their substantive, inclusive, and equitable engagement.
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