Campus Report: The Badminton Experience On UG

On Week nights the dining area of the Sarbah Hall at Legon no longer serves its primary purpose. Tables and chairs are pushed to the side, while spectators gather for a racket exchange of Badminton.  Although Badminton is a rare sight on the list of favorite sports in Ghana, for Badminton players at Legon, the love of the game is enough.

On the AM Club’s weekly campus feature, the team visited the makeshift court at Legon to have a first-hand experience of the extreme athletic sport. Badminton players spend a grueling 3 hours everyday to train for a possibility of being selected for the national team and benefit from the exposure that come with international games.

For Ahmed Ahmad Samad, a member of the national team, he trains an average of six hours a day on 3-hour morning and 3-hour evening schedule. The sport according to him is intense and the only way to keep up with most professional players is to put in that much effort.

Players attribute the lack of popularity and support for the game to the novel nature of Badminton. Badminton became a professional sport activity in 2005. The expensive nature of the sport equipment also lessens the interest of new players.

“if you try to encourage people to play, they use the expenses as excuses. It discourages them.”

Gloria Akua Ampofo, a female Badmintonist is pushing for more incentives and sponsorships to inculcate interests in more student bodies across the country.

Campus report is telecast on Wednesdays at 8:55 – 9:05 on the AM Club on MX 24.