Eneojo Abah, national number three badminton player, on Wednesday observed that Nigeria players were declining on the World Badminton Federation (WBF) ranking, due to their inadequate participation in international competitions.
Abah, who has featured for Nigeria in several international competitions, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone that attending regular international competitions usually attracts more points for players.
“For example, I am 584 in the world ranking and I have 1170 points. Assuming I have been attending regular international competitions, I am sure my rank would have gone up.
“So, attending regular international competitions attracts points, even if you are not among the top five at the event, you still get points,’’ he said.
Abah then urged the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) to organise more national championships and ensure that players participate regularly in international events to improve their standard and ranking.
“Organising one local competition in a year is not fair to athletes’ development and the sport.
“It is not good for us to just participate in one local competition and maybe three international events in a year, it does not help us at all.
“ If we train and there are no competitions to show for it, it discourages us. I am appealing to the new board of the federation to help us”.
He also appealed to corporate organisations to identify with the sport, saying funding was crucial in the organisation of events.
“We seriously need the help of sponsors because without funding, we will not make progress.
“We have a lot of players that are good,but without money, our talent will be lost”.
Abah also called on the WBF to assist the BFN in the sponsorship of top rated players in the country for international competitions.
