Badminton boss dismiss allegations

MOGOMOTSI MOLOI
Correspondent | Wednesday April 9, 2008 00:00

Some badminton coaches and administrators who preferred anonymity have complained that they are sidelined when decisions are taken by BBA officials. They expressed worry that BBA is not doing enough to develop coaches and players and they fear this will definitely kill the sport in the country.

'I am not happy at the way BBA does things. BBA is useless. That is why the sport is not growing,' charged an angry insider who lamented that the northern region is neglected when it comes to selecting players for national duty.

But Mphinyane denied the allegations saying that they are driven by personal interests from people who are bitter about the progress BBA has made. He pointed out that BBA officials have always been open in what they do. 'We try to become transparent as much as possible,' he said.

An issue that has triggered tension in BBA is the recent trip to China by Muniovanda Kandjou, a teacher and badminton coach at Makalamabedi Junior Secondary School. Sources say that the man was not supposed to attend the high level-coaching course in China because he does not qualify for it. They believe he was favoured by Mphinyane because they are long time friends.

However, Mphinyane explained that Kandjou paid for his air ticket because the association had no money to send an official. 'We encourage people to buy themselves tickets if they have money. That man (Kandjou) bought himself one (ticket) and managed to go to China,' he asserted.

He said that affiliates must not just rely on the BBA but should try to fend for themselves. He stated that because badminton is still a developing game in the country, it is struggling financially but some members seem not to understand this. He said BBA is trying to develop players and coaches countrywide but sometimes the effort is thwarted by a shortage of funds.

He said parents and teachers should meet the association halfway in taking the sport to the next level. Mphinyane, who would seek another term in office when BBA holds its Annual General Meeting (AGM) next month, said it is not the association's intention to deny anyone a chance to develop. He fired a salvo at the complainants saying the reason why they are not well informed by the latest developments in the association is because they never attend meetings. 'When we have meetings, a few people would turn up. But any other vital information is disseminated through regional co-ordinators and organisers.'  

He said countries like South Africa are far better than Botswana in sports because they are not dependent on associations. South African clubs cater for every expense in their sports, said Mphinyane. 

He explained that BBA has resolved to form committees to monitor developments at regional level. 'We want to introduce regional committees that would closely watch the developments on our behalf. These committees would send two representatives to national meetings and then give feed back to members,' he said. He added that this would probably reduce complaints though it is impossible to satisfy everybody. The BBA vice president says the northern region is doing extremely well in the game, hence it has more players in all the national teams. In a move to introduce development structures at grassroots, BBA will soon introduce badminton at primary schools.  Meanwhile, the national Under-15 tournament is currently ongoing at Tsholofelo Community Hall in Gaborone.