SHUTTLETIME IN ZIMBABWE
Shuttletime was launched by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) in 2012. Since then, over 150 countries have adopted and launched it with great success.
Zimbabwe first launched the teachers’ course on 26 May 2015. The programme was well received with a very high demand to spread it across the country. Teachers and children alike, found it to be a fun and safe way of delivering badminton as well as it being a great motivator for children to get active.
Our objectives in implementing shuttletime are :
- To give every child an opportunity to play badminton
- To introduce a new sport to rural communittees of our country
- To encourage all-inclusive participation of boys and girls, disabled, mentally challenged and able bodied children in sport
- To encourage an active lifestyle in children and teachers as a means to achieving healthy living and improved psychological wellbeing.
We are targeting the whole community through the school structure. Because where children and teachers are involved, parents are encouraged to participate.
Social inclusion is a big part of the Shuttletime programme. Badminton as a sport is structured such that boys and girls, men and women play and compete together at all levels (mens’ and womens’ singles, mens’ and womens’ doubles, mixed doubles). By delivering it to Zimbabwean communittees, we want to encourage balanced gender participation. We intend to get all children in the schools to get an opportunity to hold a racket and try the sport out. In this case, encouraging more girls and women to take part.
The programme has been designed to accommodate all children in schools. They are able to enjoy the sport in a safe manner. Furthermore, social integration is an important element of Shuttletime. We will be launching in urban and rural schools this year 2021. We would like to encourage interaction between the urban stuctures and the most rural communities.
The Shuttletime programme is unique and most who have been part of it in our country, have not wanted to let it go. The programme has been broken down to provide a teachers’ course, a tutors course and recently a university course. Besides creating opportunities at these levels as well as facilitators and coordinators, badminton has the ability to become the sport with the most participation in our country. This is the same impact it is having globally where it has been introduced. Brazil, India, Nepal are just some of the countries that it has been highly successful.
Shuttletime supports a healthy lifestyle. Most of the exercises in the course encourage development of motor skills, balance and movement. At the same time being a low contact activity. One of the fun facts about badminton is that it is the fastest racket sport in the world, making it a very good and effective exercise option.
Because Shuttletime starts from grassroots, it provides an opportunity for pathways from schools to olympic podiums. Children have the opportunity to go elite if they are good at it, while others can play for recreation.