Africa-Press – Lesotho. In 1999, the Badminton Association of Lesotho was formed following a recommendation by the Badminton Confederation of Africa but it collapsed in 2013.
Badminton operated mostly at the National University of Lesotho (NUL) and St Boniface Club in Maputsoe and students of those schools represented Lesotho in the Africa Badminton Schools Championship in 2016 and again last year in Lusaka, Zambia, where they brought home a bronze medal.
The association was re-launched again in 2020 with a new leadership which to date has trained over 200 teachers across the country to get badminton played in schools and clubs.
In March this year the association held a strategic meeting where they drew a programme that will culminate into an annual national tournament drawing players from all districts.
It is during this “Road to National Championships” that the association will determine the level of play from schools and clubs and plan accordingly for the long term.
The Covid-19 pandemic put a hold on most of the association’s activities, one of which was the composition of a constant national team of male and female players.
Like any other association, BAL has big dreams. It wants to compete at the highest level and will not stop until that happens. For now though, the aim is to participate at the International Games in Botswana and South Africa by the end of 2021 if play opens again.
Meet the woman leading BAL into the new future and world of possibilities Dr Moneoang Leshota. Not only is she envisaging a bright future for Badminton Lesotho. She wants to solidify structures and getting Badminton played.
Under her leadership, she aims to get as many people playing badminton as possible, in her own words it is an enjoyable sport that can be played just about anywhere; on the grass; on soil; on normal school grounds; or at home, for as long as there is a racket and a shuttlecock.
But, most importantly, because badminton is one of those sports without an age limit, it can be played by very young children and by elderly people for health and wellness.
Dr. Leshota also says Badminton is one of the richest sports with respect to prize money. “In Africa, there is an opportunity for players to earn while playing in the International Series with prize money of $10 000.
Nigeria now hosts an International Series that boasts prize money of $25 000. This is a great opportunity for our youth to play sport and make a living out of it as well,” she said.
Dr Leshota is not a stranger to leadership in sport and has previously been vice-president of Lesotho Sport and Recreational Commission (LSRC). She says success is not an overnight thing and to compete at the highest level, Lesotho will need to develop players and put structures in place.
She wants to get badminton played both at recreational level (AirBadminton) as well as competitively including ParaBadminton. She wants to sell the sport through action to sponsors to see for themselves what badminton is about and what it is capable of doing.
She says while positive strides have been made to get women involved with sport there is still a long way to go. Dr Leshota says when women cannot play, they can also participate as administrators, managers, coaches and technical officials.
As one of the few women leading associations she says regulations that support and ensure women’s safety must be enforced without fail. “There are also issues relating to abuse where women do not feel protected, especially young women whose coaches and personnel around them are only male. Women have qualities that benefit society and that should benefit sport. These have to be harnessed and encouraged,” she said.
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