Badminton Uganda Nears Complete Teso Coverage as Soroti Workshop Empowers Teachers and Students
By Kayiira Jackson
SOROTI, Uganda — Badminton Uganda has taken another significant step in its mission to spread the sport across the country after successfully conducting a two-day Shuttle Time workshop at Soroti Secondary School in Soroti District.
The workshop attracted more than ten teachers from various schools across Soroti District and focused on equipping participants with badminton coaching and technical officiating skills. The initiative is part of Badminton Uganda’s broader effort to popularize the sport and strengthen its grassroots structures nationwide.
Speaking during the workshop, Badminton Uganda Chief Executive Officer Simon Mugabi said the introduction of technical officiating modules will help address the challenge of transporting officials to different parts of the country for tournaments.
“We have added technical officers’ training to enable participants handle tournaments on their own. This will reduce the burden of moving technical officials across the country whenever competitions are organized,” Mugabi said.
Mugabi noted that Badminton Uganda has so far covered several districts in the Teso sub-region, including Kumi, Butebo, Pallisa, Bukedea, Butaleja, Ngora, Serere, Kaberamaido, Katakwi, Soroti and Kalaki. Only Amuria District remains to complete the organization’s outreach in the region.
“Almost all districts in Teso have now been covered. After this, we shall head to the West Nile region, which has 13 districts, before moving on to Karamoja as we continue traversing the entire country,” he added.
Soroti Secondary School hosted the workshop, providing a platform for both teachers and students to learn the fundamentals of badminton and sports management.
Suzan Alice Achola, the games teacher at Soroti Secondary School, welcomed the initiative, saying it had opened new opportunities for the school community.
“We are very happy that Badminton Uganda has visited our school. We did not have badminton among our games disciplines before. This workshop has benefited us greatly, and we are ready to pass on the knowledge to our students,” Achola said.
Students also expressed enthusiasm about the sport. Nafuna Jesca, a Senior Two student at Soroti Secondary School, said the training had inspired her to take badminton seriously.
“I have learnt a lot during the workshop and I am willing to pursue the sport further,” she said.
Participants from various schools, including Light Secondary School and Crane High School Soroti, said they had gained valuable skills and pledged to establish badminton clubs in their respective schools.
The workshop marks another milestone in Badminton Uganda’s grassroots development program, which aims to nurture talent, expand participation and build sustainable badminton structures across the country.
The Teso regional training program is expected to climax on Friday, with organizers optimistic that the skills acquired will accelerate the growth of badminton in schools and communities throughout the region.