Barbados Olympic Association (BOA) welcomes International visit to Boost Badminton
Bridgetown, April 15, 2013 – The Barbados Olympic Association (BOA) sat down with two members of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Friday, April 12, to discuss the development of the sport across the region.
The informal visit took place in advance of the scheduled meeting with the Caribbean Regional Badminton Confederation (CAREBACO) held on Saturday, April 13. President of the BOA, Steve Stoute, welcomed Deputy President of the BWF, Paisan Rangsikitpho, and BWF Council Member, Justian Suhandinata, to Barbados and thanked them for their support of badminton, an Olympic sport since 1992.
Also in attendance at the meeting were, Secretary General of the BOA, Erskine Simmons, President of the Barbados Badminton Association (BBA), Kevin Wood, and Secretary of the BBA, Mervyn Gordon. Discussions centred on Rangsikitphos campaign for Presidency of the BWF and the need for increased funding and training expertise in the smaller territories.
The number one priority for any President of the BWF is to maintain badminton as an Olympic sport. To accomplish this, it is imperative that more attention be paid to smaller countries. We have just come from Guam and from here we travel to Taipei. All of these territories are facing similar challenges and it is time that the BWF enhance their efforts. If I am successful with my candidacy for President, this will be my mandate, says Rangsikitpho.
Stoute praised Rangsikitpho and Suhandinata for their commitment to improving the sport and reinforced the need for additional resources. It was surprising for many when the decision was made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to remove wrestling as a core sport on the Olympic programme. Wrestling has been a core Olympic sport for many years and this decision shows how important it is for a sport to be proactive.
Simmons highlighted the recent coaching enhancements made by the BWF and the high praise the Federation received for its swift action at the London Olympics, expelling 8 female players for match throwing. Excellence in sport demands integrity and the BWF demonstrated its unwavering commitment to excellence through its actions in London. The BOA looks forward to seeing badminton grow in popularity across the region and we hope to see our badminton athletes excel at the next Olympic Games.
Stoute thanked Rangsikitpho and Suhandinata for making time to visit Barbados and pledged the support of the BOA as they continue their campaign.
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Captions:
Image 1: (From left) Kevin Wood, President of the BBA, Erskine Simmons, Secretary General of the BOA, Paisan Rangsikitpho, Deputy President of the BWF, Steve Stoute, President of the BOA, Justian Suhandinata, BWF Council Member and Mervyn Gordon, Secretary of the BBA.
Image 2: Steve Stoute, President of the BOA (centre), making a special presentation to Paisan Rangsikitpho, Deputy President of the BWF, and Justian Suhandinata, BWF Council Member.
Image 3: Steve Stoute, President of the BOA (centre), sharing a light moment with Paisan Rangsikitpho, Deputy President of the BWF, and Justian Suhandinata, BWF Council Member.