Badminton: Thomas and Uber Cups preliminaries in Uganda-Seychellois shuttlers gunning for world cup final spots |17 February 2010

The event will take place at the ultra-modern Lugogo indoor stadium from February 20-23 and will be contested by teams from Nigeria, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Cameroon, Ghana, Mauritius, Seychelles, Ethiopia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Burundi, Uganda and Kenya.

The 11-member Seychelles delegation comprises nine players – Juliette Ah-Wan, Katherina Paulin, Alisen Camille, Cynthia Course, Jessy Mancienne, Steve Malcouzane, Georgie Cupidon, Kervin Ghislain and Richie Course – and two coaches – Gerard Bibi and Calix Francourt.

The ladies will play in the Uber Cup, while the men will compete in the Thomas Cup.
Speaking to Sports Nation, coach Bibi said he has high hopes for the two teams.

“I expect both the men’s and women’s teams to do well in the preliminaries. While things could be a little harder for the men’s team, I have high hopes of the women’s. They can do it,” said Bibi, who was voted the best coach for the 2009 sporting season.

“Although we may say a lot of good things, all will depend on the players. The preparation has gone according to plan and they have trained six days a week since last month. We expect them to translate into the competition what they did in training. If they can do this, I see no reason why we cannot triumph in Uganda.”

Three-time African senior women’s singles champion Ah-Wan echoed her coach’s sentiment.

“We have probably the best women’s team in Africa. All we have to do is get our act together to finish on the highest step of the podium. All players must be ready to play and play with verve,” said former two-time Sportswoman of the Year Ah-Wan.

The first male player to win a singles medal in the African Senior Championships – a bronze – last year in Kenya, Malcouzane believes the country’s men’s team can do well if all the players stay focused and play their hearts out.

 “We have a very good chance of achieving something good. Even the two junior players – Ghislain and Richie Course – who lack international experience, can contribute to the team’s success as long as they play hard,” said Malcouzane.

Teams will play three singles and two doubles matches in the Thomas and Uber Cup preliminaries.

The top men’s and women’s teams will represent Africa at the world show set for Malaysia from May 9-16.

Last time Seychelles took part in the qualifiers in Mauritius in 2006, the women’s team finished third behind South Africa and Mauritius, while the men were ranked fourth behind South Africa, Mauritius and Zambia.

The Uber Cup is the most sought-after women’s team trophy in the badminton world. Only four nations have won it since its inception in 1956: USA, Japan, Indonesia and China.

China has won the last three Uber Cups, held in Jakarta in 2004, Sendai/Tokyo in 2006 and Jakarta in 2008. The next Women’s Team World Badminton Championship for the Uber Cup will be hosted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 9-16, 2010.

Only three nations have won the Thomas Cup title in 25 tournaments since 1948-1949. Indonesia are the most successful team with 14 wins. China, who did not begin to compete until the 1981-1982 series, have seven titles, while Malaysia have won four.
Africa Individual meet and Roofings International tournament

After the completion of the Thomas and Uber Cup preliminaries, the local shuttlers will compete in the first Africa Individual meet from February 24-26.

Sports Nation has also learned there is a possibility that the two teams will take part in the Roofings International tournament, provided it ends before the team’s departure date – February 28.

“We must have confirmation of the dates of the Roofings International tournament before we enter. This is because we will be fined if we leave the competition early to come back home and our players are still involved,” Seychelles Badminton Association chairman Michel Bau told Sports Nation.

The top performers in the Roofings International tournament will earn world ranking points.

The fourth competition – the African U-18 Championship – starts today and no Seychellois have entered.

To prepare for these four tournaments, the Uganda Badminton Association has received seven cartons of shuttlecocks from the Badminton World Federation.

G. G.