I was born and raised in the 300-year-old city of Saint Louis, in the north of Senegal. I played various sports at school and in the street like many young Senegalese. At the end of my schooling, I went to Dakar for my studies which lasted six years at the Institut National Supérieur de l’Education Populaire et Sportive (INSEPS) at the Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar.
Brush With Badminton
The first time I saw badminton was in Dakar, at the Institute. A French trainer had come for a training course. He offered us the opportunity to handle the shuttlecock, the racket and then to play badminton, and even to draw a court and organise a tournament. It was fun!
I felt badminton had similarities with volleyball. I was a volleyball player but had injured my left shoulder, which prevented me from playing volleyball. However, I could play badminton because I am right-handed and I had to keep my physical level during the recovery period and badminton helped because it is a physical sport, very dynamic and technical.
What Badminton Means
Badminton has become my daily life, my passion. I spend time playing badminton with my fellow students and then with the players of the club ‘ABC’ with whom I improved my skills. I participated twice in a badminton technical reinforcement course in China which allowed me to better understand the sport, its history and its global dimension.
I play all the time and make many of my friends play. Badminton has allowed me to create another family, to discover and to be in contact with a joyful world.
Through this sport we meet people, we learn and we make others discover the pleasure of playing sport.
Memorable Events & People
The internship in China was a major event in my relationship with badminton. I discovered a lot about the game, the styles and the philosophy of the sport.
Secondly, the joy of children during Shuttle Time training while they pick up skills strikes me and cements my commitment to this sport.
For me, the most remarkable thing is that badminton is accessible to all, of any age and gender, without carrying any risk.
Impact of Shuttle Time
Shuttle Time has really changed the game. Although many sports federations are trying to reach out to schools, they don’t have the content that Shuttle Time has. Shuttle Time allows accessible, dynamic and integrated practice. In addition, Shuttle Time has made it possible to train teachers who will train young people in their respective schools with reliable resources, to organise competitions and thus to participate in the promotion and development of badminton.
