The Inspector General of Police, IG, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar on Sunday visited and trained with Nigeria Badminton players, who were preparing for the 9th Uganda International Badminton tournament scheduled to take place between 20-23 February at the Lugogo Indoor Stadium in Uganda.
The IG, a former national badminton player as well as an ex-board member of Nigeria Football Association, NFA, promised to continue to support the players to gain enough points that will qualify them for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.
“If we engage the youths, especially through sports, we have done one great thing, which is taking them away from the streets and it’s a very good factor in creating better leaders of tomorrow”.
Also on Sunday, the Abuja badminton club donated a set of jersey and badminton equipment to the national team ahead of the Ugandan tournament.
The chairman Abuja badminton Club, Abubakar Isa said it is their way of supporting the Nigeria Badminton Federation, NBF.
“We are trying to promote badminton in Nigeria and we feel we should start with the national team”, Isa added.
President of NBF, Justice Danlami Senchi who was on hand to receive the donations, thanked the donors especially the IG for helping to promote badminton in Nigeria, and assured that Nigeria will qualify for 2016 Olympics.
National badminton captain Olaoluwa Fagbemi said the team hopes to win at least four gold medals in Uganda.
The organisers hinted that 16 teams have confirmed participation in the championship, that will see 64 players taking part in different categories.
Host, Uganda, Nigeria, Namibia, Libya, Egypt, Algeria, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Kenya and Mauritius are the African countries featuring in the tourney, while Austria, Malaysia, Slovakia, Israel, and Syrilanka are among the international countries that will take part in the competition.