Annual, bi-annual and even four-year recurring badminton tournaments can create lifelong friendships that stretch across generations. At the Pacific u17 Invitation Team Challenge in Geelong this week, a double generation story is unfolding between a mother, a father and their sons.
In 2019 at the Pacific Games in Apia, Samoa, Hnaissilin Yann was the manager for the New Caledonian badminton team. Karyn Gibson (nee Whiteside) was a player for team Fiji. However, they first became friends when they played in an international tournament at the age of 17. Over the years Hnaissilin and Karyn have remained good friends and continue to share the love of the sport through their sons, William and Ethan.
William Hnaissilin, 15 years old, has been playing badminton since the age of eight. Ethan is also 15 years old and started playing badminton when he was 10 years old.
Both boys are part of the Pacific u17 Invitation Team Challenge 2024 and were participants at the Oceania u17 Development Camp that preceded the competition.
Creating what could become a lifelong friendship born out of the love of badminton, the legacy continues across a new generation. Who knows how many more it will traverse?
