Whitesands School came alive as over 300 kids were in attendance during the inaugural edition of the Whitesands & ISabiPlay Badminton Championship in Lagos.
For an event in its first year, with many participants playing their first ever competitive match in the sport, the Whitesands Indoor Sports Hall was an unprecedented beehive of activities on Saturday, 12 October, 2024.
Giving an overview of the tournament, Mr. Solomon Aluma, the head of Whitesands Sports Department, noted that it was not intended to be as big as it was but it turned out to be that elaborate because more people than expected showed interest.
He said: “We intended to have a tournament which was split into three categories; junior, intermediate and seniors. JSS1 & 2 for the juniors, JSS3 & SS1 for the intermediate and SS2 & 3 for the seniors.
“But I was surprised to see the turnout of the players here and we had over 300 kids who wanted to play this badminton championship despite the fact that we planned for just 60 of them. The sponsor also thought it wise to add the parents and staff who take care of these kids, that’s why we had the parents and staff added to it.
“I was stunned by the level of skills displayed by the players, many of whom we had only recently introduced to the sport and to think we had this turnout despite the fact that badminton is not as popular as football, basketball and other sports tells a lot about the level of interest”.
At the end of the keen contest which lasted about five hours across different stages, Emmanuel Olaitan, a JSS3 Student, emerged winner of the star prize of a term’s tuition fee.
He defeated a JSS2 student, Munachimso Nnadi, to go home with a giant trophy as the undisputable champion of the colourful and exciting competition which also had parents and staff competing for honors.
Olaitan was more than grateful to the organizers for putting together such an interesting tournament stating: “I am very grateful to the organisers for giving us this opportunity to play a competition, and I am happy that I won the prize.
“My parents were also supportive for me to play this competition and that also motivated me to give it my best”.
Mrs. Abieyuwa Osaghae, one of the parents of the participating student, expressed her excitement at the level of the tournament, and the fact that her child was able to compete despite the fact that he was not able to win his second match.
She also added that “this is a much better way to engage the children for about five hours instead of them sitting in front of the screen and the social media.
“He told me about badminton a few weeks ago, but I didn’t know how serious it was until I came around today. It was a really beautiful competition and the parents were really excited about it”.
Speaking on behalf of ISabiPlay, the sponsors of the one-day event, Anthony Brendan told Nigeria Tennis Live that the aspiration of the organization is to build a viable brand that stretches the length and breath of Sub-saharan Africa while also supporting kids in sports to achieve their dreams.
“What we are doing may be seen as a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), but it is beyond that. It is our organization’s way of giving back to the society and impacting the next generation.
“We are interested in sports, youth, and social development and one of our core principles is to help kids grow in their sports, vocations, or talents so they can eventually support their families. Therefore, we hope to continue sponsoring this tournament for as long as possible,” Brendan stated.
ISabiPlay Nigeria Limited is a gaming platform which great interest in youth, entertainment, sports and social development, and they have showcased that with their sponsorship of the badminton tournament which cost them over four million naira (N4,000,000).
Dr. Emeka Enemuoh, Whitesands School Principal who also participated in the tournament, was grateful to the sponsor of the competition, stating that it has also aided the students’ interest in badminton as a sport.
According to him: “I play badminton myself, and I know that not all children are interested, but with this initiative from ISabiPlay, many boys have shown interest in the sport. Also, from what I see now, we will likely have more students interested in badminton, and it will become one of our prominent games.
“This competition is unique. We’ve had other events in the school, but this is the first time we’ve had such a colorful competition. The parents have supported us as well, and they’ll be most impressed by the prizes, especially the star prize – a term’s tuition fee, in this economy”.