This year’s National Sports Council (NSC) Primary School Badminton Championship will feature an increased number of schools and participants when it serves off on Wednesday.
Senior coach at the NSC with responsibility for badminton, Tracey Leacock revealed that 14 schools will take part in the competition, up from the 12 that competed in 2025.
National Sports Council Senior coach, Tracy Leacock. (Photo Credit: Kurtis Hinds/Barbados TODAY)
The competition, which is being sponsored by Massy Stores and includes a skills competition and individual championships, will take place at the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium on May 6 and 8.
In an interview with Barbados TODAY, Leacock said the increase in participation reflected an increase in interest in the sport among young players.
“This year there are 14 schools. Last year we had a total of 106 children participating, and even though it is what people describe as a minor sport, we still had a lot of engagement. Up until Monday we were still maneuvering the numbers and I’m sure that we are over 110,” she said.
Leacock said the format was also geared to encourage mass participation.
“This year the skills component will look like a team, so we will have children going through basic movements in a relay type situation where they will be testing their agility, balance, their precision in hitting and such like the individual competition,” she said.
Leacock confirmed that the early interest among children in the sport had led to more players transitioning into play at the next level.
“We had quite a few of the participants coming through this competition in primary school who’ve gone on to secondary school and we would have seen them participating in the secondary school competition which was held in December. The interest is there and it is gaining momentum. It may be a little slow, but it’s definitely happening,” she said.
The competition is among one of the first that will be played on the new ultra modern glass floor at the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium.
Leacock says there are even more plans being put in place for the sport at a junior level.
“We are going to be pulling some of the best students into a development program for badminton. Like other sports, we’re trying to raise a crop of students who will go on to the national level. The plan is basically to raise that level of interest and get more children involved,” she explained.
(KH)
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