FCT Badminton Chairman Vows Bigger Push for Youth Sports After National Festival Medals

By: Gyang Dakwo

The Chairman of the Badminton Association in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mohammed Usman Bappa, has promised to step up efforts to grow badminton in the territory, with a strong focus on youth development and grassroots tournaments.

Mohammed Usman Bappa stated this on the sidelines of the medal presentation ceremony at the 2024 National Sports Festival, which is currently taking place in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Despite starting preparations late, the FCT athletes still managed to win a bronze medal in the mixed doubles category and a gold medal in para-badminton.

“We started preparations a bit late, and that affected our performance,” Bappa said. “However, we discovered new talents through this competition. In the FCT, we have been running several programs to take children off the streets and involve them in badminton. We have already started these initiatives across the six area councils.”

He noted that while some preparation had started at the Area Councils level before the festival, the event caused a short pause in their activities.

“Right after the festival, we will increase our pace. By next week, we will begin the Area Council Games. We also plan to improve our facilities and get new equipment to upgrade the badminton courts,” he said.

Bappa spoke proudly of the FCT’s track record in producing talented badminton players and said he is hopeful about the future of the sport in the region.

“Since I became the chairman of the association, we have found areas that needed improvement and started new strategies to rebuild the sport. There has been real progress, and we are determined to keep it going,” he added.

He also shared some of the challenges faced during the festival, especially with accommodation.

“This festival is about giving young athletes a chance to show their talent. But when players cannot rest well because of poor accommodation, it affects how they perform. Some of our athletes stayed as far as two hours from the venue,” he explained.

Bappa ended by saying he is fully committed to making sure badminton in the FCT continues to grow at both the community and competition levels.

End