Oceania Shuttle Time News
Teitiria Utimawa and Tinabora Takeiaki are jumping for joy as their inspiring success is rippling across the Pacific to their home country Kiribati, where more women are being inspired to play badminton. Having based themselves in Melbourne over the last year with coach, Dean Lewis, the girls have stormed into the Oceania badminton scene. With…
Do not let the speckle on the map deceive you, Nauru is fuelled by enthusiasm as the Shuttle Time Schools Badminton Programme is about to take the tiny island nation by storm. Located North East of Australia and in extreme close proximity to the equator, Nauru is home to roughly 10,000 people and has only 30km of…
The Cook Islands are one of the many countries in the Pacific that are formed of multiple islands – another challenge faced by our Member Associations when promoting BWF Shuttle Time among their communities. Cook Islands Badminton recently extended their reach to Aitutaki, known locally as ‘a little paradise’, which is home to approximately 1800…
Pictured: Roseanne Ulunga (back row, fourth in from the left) with BWF Shuttle Time Workshop attendees and participants The Solomon Islands is a nation formed of hundreds of islands in the Pacific, with Papua New Guinea as it’s closest neighbouring country. Currently, a small community of people play badminton across the country, with only three…
Nauru Badminton is on the rise as a group of badminton enthusiasts formed a board to oversee the development of badminton within the country. Nauru is one of the sixteen members of Badminton Oceania, however, the federation has not been active for a number of years. Following the support from Badminton Oceania and Nauru Badminton’s…
Team Tonga are thriving in the Pacific badminton scene as their national federation grows stronger and their coaches become more competent. The Pacific Sports Partnership (PSP) also plays a significant role in Tonga’s development, helping to turn the BWF Shuttle Time initiative into a reality for many youngsters across the country, while supporting talented players…
Youth Pastor, Televine Masefau, of Samoa’s L.M.S. Pasefika Church is using badminton to restore faith in her community’s next generation. Televine Masefau, Front row on the right side. With the resources provided by BWF Shuttle Time, Televine is promoting health and wellbeing and helping children as young as five years find a new lease of…
Earlier this year, Fiji hosted a Paralympic Showcase in Nadi to coincide with the Oceania National Olympic Committee (ONOC) AGM. During the event, Ateca Mataitoga was highlighted as a prospect for Para-Badminton, both as a player and coach. After deciding to put her own well-being at the forefront, Para-sport is a new addition to Ateca’s…
The recent VICTOR Oceania Championships 2019 in Melbourne showcased the inspiring legacy from the Pacific Islands, with players from Tonga, the Cook Islands and Samoa who were introduced to badminton through the BWF Shuttle Time initiative which launched back in 2012. Many players in their junior teams took to the sport and went on to represent…
Compared to the other regions in the world, Oceania faces unique challenges due to the remoteness, distance between countries/continents and difficulty in accessing resources which creates several barriers to participation and challenges to our aspiring players. Many of the Pacific Islands face such challenges, which many other countries would take for granted, on a daily…