With the Sudirman Cup making it’s debut in the Oceania region, this provided an opportunity for our Pacific countries to watch world class action, as well as promote Shuttle Time and undertake training on the Gold Coast.
Staff from the Australian Aid-supported Pacific Sports Partnerships in Tonga attended the Sudirman Cup to demonstrate how badminton is being used to improve health and social inclusion. The Shuttle Time Tonga delivery team promoted their programmes at the tournament venue – Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre – sharing information with badminton fans as well as delivering Shuttle Time activities to visiting primary school audiences. The team also made time to enthuse local Tongan Australians in badminton as part of a cultural outreach programme.
In conjunction with Sudirman Cup the Badminton World Federation and Badminton Oceania also held their Annual General Meetings which encouraged a large number of Pacific Member countries to attend. Tuvalu attended for the first time, as did our newest member Papua New Guinea. Both countries used this opportunity to train key personnel as Shuttle Time Tutors, so they are able to return home to implement and deliver Shuttle Time in their respective countries.
See also Australia Plus Pacific story and photos here and Shuttle Time Tonga promotional video here
Photo credit Aaron Kearney – ABC
