Badminton in Samoa had hit a high point between 2017 and 2019 with the nation hosting the 2019 Pacific Games. However, during the Covid years the sport took a backseat.
To reignite interest in the sport, SBF President Lizzie Key identified the need to restart Shuttle Time in Samoa and looked to upskill local people in Samoa to deliver and develop the workforce infrastructure for Shuttle Time. This started with the Teachers Course in 2024, with the view that in future years, several of the trained teachers will advance to become tutors.
Additionally, Special Olympics Asia Pacific through Preethy Janarthanan met with Lizzie Key and Tusitina Nu’uvali of Special Olympics Samoa to discuss the inclusion of badminton in the SOS programme. SOS was keen to engage their volunteer networking in Shuttle Time so that they could utilise their newly learned badminton knowledge in regular delivery.
SBF also put forward several non-Special Olympics focused participants with badminton backgrounds who were interested in taking the course.
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