Players gained a lot in Suriname says GBA President

Apr 26, 2014 Sports

The Guyana Badminton Association (GBA) sent a team to participate in the recently concluded Suriname Annual Easter International Tournament at the Walter Amo Sports Hall in Paramaribo, and President of the GBA Gokarn Ramdhani explained that the main aim of participating in the neighboring Dutch land was to keep the top players in form and expose the newer ones and he feels that the youths gained a lot in Suriname.
“This competition was really to keep our top players in form since playing in the local competitions has become too easy for them. It was also used to expose the new players coming up” Ramdhani who is also a Coach, explained.
The former National player said the standard of the local players was excellent when compared with those on the international level in their various age groups.
“The standard is excellent and we are the top in our age group especially in the Under-13, 15, 17 & 19. We are able to compete at the international level and this is shown with our players medaling in the last 7 years at these tournaments.”
According to the long serving GBA head, while the National Sports Commission (NSC) assisted with transportation to catch the Ferry to Suriname, the cost of the trip was funded by family members and friends.
Ramdhani disclosed that Narayan Ramdhani, Priyanna Ramdhani & Jonathan Mangra were the outstanding Guyanese in Suriname and should help in a big way for their next overseas tournament, the Pan American Junior Championships in the last week of July in Guatemala.
“We have six local tournaments left for this year and the Pan American Junior Championships in July. There is also The Caribbean Championships in August, The Inter-Guyana Games in October/September, The Suriname Open in November and hopefully the Pan American Olympic Festival Tournament in October,” the GBA executive revealed.
He expressed satisfaction with the standard of Badminton in Guyana but he is also concerned with the number and quality of Badminton Halls in this country.
“I am satisfied to see we are making it in the International arena and moving up but we need more Halls to play Badminton with the right height (30Ft) which can help us to carry badminton to a higher level. At the moment we play on concrete courts which are becoming a problem for the players getting a higher level as they have to do more intense training and the knees and ankles are used to a maximum,” Ramdhani explained.
“We need our own Hall or Building and we will continue to try for this. We can also bring in the synthetic courts but we have to get a place to put them down as they can easily be damaged if it is put in a place where chairs or other stuff are placed on them,” Ramdhani continued.
“I think we have good relationships but getting more help for badminton, especially for airfares for our top players would be a great help as the players perform at the best level and always keep our flag flying proudly at all international tournaments in the last seven years,” Ramdhani responded when asked what is the relationship between the Government and the GBA? “Maybe if every year a few of the top players are fully sponsored by the Government just for one international tournament it would be a plus. On the other hand, they are supporting us and assisting us when we request their help however they can,” he opined.
Ramdhani, who praised Director of Sports, Neil Kumar for his assistance, said the GBA is trying to get young people in as much areas as possible, interested in the sport as the Association tries to take the game outside of the City.
“We are trying to do this as we did a few demonstrations and donated equipment to some schools in Georgetown and one in New Amsterdam, but the follow up with the schools was very poor. We however plan to do a short course for PE Teachers to learn about the game and use it during the PE Classes. Already a few students in schools in Georgetown are doing Badminton for CSEC and we give them the classes for them to be better equipped to write the exam,” Ramdhani concluded.

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Players gained a lot in Suriname says GBA President

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