Badminton
MUTUAL BENEFITS BADMINTON ENTERS FINAL STAGE
The 3rd Mutual Benefits National Badminton Championship holding at the Mutual Benefit / Police College Badminton Hall in Ikeja, Lagos entered it’s 3rd day on Friday with some of the outcomes failing to click to predictions.
In the Men’s Singles event, in what has become a sort of the championship’s tradition, Nigeria’s and Africa’s number 1, Anuoluwapo Opeyori squares up against traditional rival and Nigeria’s Nigeria number 2 and Africa’s number 3 Men’s Singles player, Godwin Olufua in an all-Lagos state Finals.
Anu had earlier breezed past Babatunde Bankole, a young junior international player from Ogun state in the Quarter Finals stage and Isaac Minaphee of Rivers state to book a place at the Finals, while Godwin Olufua defeated Ahmad B.Umar, the Captain of Nigeria’s Junior National team, Bauchi state player at the Quarter Finals and Aliyu Shehu of Niger state to set up a rematch of the championship’s MS Finals.
In the Women’s Singles category, African reigning Queen of badminton and Nigeria’s Number One Women’s Singles player, Dorcas Adesokan of Ogun State defeated Grace Gabriel of Plateau state in the Semifinals to reach the Finals of the category while Ruth Ebere of Katsina state defeated Deborah Ukeh Divine of Edo state to set up a Finals clash with Adesokan. Worthy of note is the successful comeback bid of the sensational Grace Gabriel who was Nigeria’s former Number One Women Singles player who has had a very long layoff for academic reasons. Getting to the Semifinals stage and indeed winning a joint third spot is highly commendable as well as exciting.
Another noteworthy aspect of the Semifinals is this being the first time that Deborah Ukeh-Divine has not qualified for the Finals of the Mutual Benefits meet.
The Men’s Doubles finals is an exciting match of Young Blood vs Experience as the African /Nigerian Number One MD pair of Anuoluwapo Opeyori /Godwin Olufua (Lagos) prepare to lock horns with the pair of Eneojo Joseph Abah/ Isaac Minaphee (Rivers).
Anu O./Godwin O. dispatched the upcoming pair of Ahmad B.Umar/ AbdulHameed M.Waleed of Bauchi state while E.Abah /I.Minaphee (Rivers) had to rest the young pair of Tunde Bankole/Simeon Idowu (Ogun) to reach the Finals.
The Women’s Doubles event produced a hitherto “unknown” pair of Zainab D.Alabi / Sofiyat O.Obanishola (Kwara) in the Finals after defeating a formidable pair of Tosin Atolagbe-Davies / Zainab Momoh. The exciting part of this pair is that they are both Junior National Team members.
Sofiyat is the youngest member the Team Nigeria Badminton team to the All African Games in Morocco a few weeks back, where she posted a superlative performance to clinch a valuable bronze in the WS event of the Individual Championship.
They meet Ogun’s pair of Dorcas A./Asisat Ogunkanbi (Ogun) who qualified at the expense of Deborah U./Peace Orji-Abah whom they edged out.
The Mixed Doubles event Finals will see the tussle between Africa’s Number Two Mixed Doubles Team, which is also Nigeria’s Number One, Eneojo Joseph Abah, the friendly and respected Captain of the Senior National Team and his beautiful wife/partner, Peace Orji-Abah against the pair of FCT’s Yunusa Momoh/Ramatu Yakubu.
Yunusa M./Ramatu Y. had earlier overran Jovita Anikwe / Q.Chibuzor of Anambra state at the Semifinals while Eneojo J.A./ Peace Orji-Abah had stopped Niger state’s pair of Aliyu Shehu/M.Mohammed to raise expectations of retaining their position.
Overall, the level of the game has risen exponentially over the last year and newcomers are knocking on the doors of those considered traditional winners of some categories.
The Finals will expectedly start on Saturday at 10am while the closing ceremony starts at 2pm.
The Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) has continued its nationwide grassroots development drive with a two-day outreach training held in Yola, the Adamawa State capital.
Organised in collaboration with the Adamawa State Sports Council, the State Ministry of Education, and the Nigeria School Sport Federation (NSSF), Adamawa chapter, the training took place on 24 and 25 September 2025 at the General Murtala Mohammed College hall.
A total of 20 Physical Education teachers and 80 secondary school students from the Yola area participated in the intensive programme, which aimed to introduce badminton to schools and promote the sport at the grassroots level.
The training was facilitated by a team of five coaches led by George Shitta, who also serves as the Director of Sports at the Taraba State Sports Commission. Participants were taken through the fundamentals of badminton, including grip techniques, footwork, serving, stroke execution, game strategy, and proper warm-up routines.
According to the organisers, the programme was part of the BFN’s ongoing partnership with the Community Sports and Educational Development (CSED) Initiative, which has supported similar “Shuttle Time” and “Outreach Badminton Training” sessions across the country over the past three years. These sessions are designed to help teachers and students learn the game together while fostering teamwork, discipline, and social development.
The trainees actively engaged with the coaches — asking questions, sharing experiences, and demonstrating newly acquired skills. At the end of the programme, each participating school received badminton kits, including rackets, shuttlecocks, and nets, to help sustain practice beyond the training.
The Director of the Adamawa State Sports Council, Mr. Daniel Ahmed, graced the event, while the lead facilitator, George Shitta, paid courtesy visits to key education stakeholders — Hajiya Aisha M. Umar, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, and Birsan Panuel, Executive Secretary of the Post Primary Schools Management Board (PPSMB).
Organisers described the initiative as a model of effective collaboration among sports authorities, education agencies, and development partners — a partnership they hope will continue to enhance both the academic and athletic growth of teachers, coaches, and students in Adamawa State.
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The curtain fell on the 8th Lagos International Badminton Classics at the Teslim Balogun Stadium on Saturday, with host nation Nigeria making the podium and the event earning praise as a model for sports tourism in Africa.
Though global heavyweights dominated the finals, Nigeria’s Obanisola and her partner gave the home crowd reason to cheer by clinching bronze in the Women’s Doubles, ensuring the green and white were represented on the podium.
Elsewhere, India’s S. Lele defended her Women’s Singles crown with a 21-15, 21-17 victory over compatriot Kashyap, while Russia’s neutral duo Alimov and Ogloblin sealed Men’s Doubles gold against UAE’s Ravikrishna and Rimdahoi.
Tournament organizers hailed the event as a resounding success. “The Lagos International Badminton Classics has once again proven that Nigeria is ready to host world-class sporting events,” said Francis Orbih, President of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN). “We are building a brand that showcases Africa’s talent, hospitality, and passion for badminton.”
With $17,500 prize money shared among winners and athletes praising the hospitality of Lagos, the championship reaffirmed Nigeria’s growing profile as a hub for global sports. The 9th edition in 2026 promises an even bigger spectacle.
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Indonesia stamped their authority on the 8th Lagos International Badminton Classics, turning the Teslim Balogun Stadium into a stage of triumph as they swept multiple gold medals on the final day of action.
From the opening Mixed Doubles clash to the showpiece Men’s Singles final, the Southeast Asian powerhouse asserted its dominance.
The pair of Prasetyo and Munggaren set the tone by defeating India’s Ravat and Maneesha 21-15, 21-17, before P. Shujiwo powered past Japan’s M. Koga 21-15, 21-17 in a pulsating Men’s Singles final.
The Indonesians celebrate in style
The Women’s Doubles final confirmed Indonesia’s superiority, with Meida and Nastine dispatching UAE’s Quathun and Sreejithparol in just 25 minutes (21-18, 21-7), the shortest contest of the evening.
The highlight of the celebrations came as Indonesia’s national anthem echoed repeatedly through the Okoya Thomas Indoor Hall, with Ambassador Bambang Suharto personally presenting the Men’s Singles trophy to Shujiwo — a moment that underscored the national pride attached to the victories.
With three golds and several silver finishes, Indonesia emerged as the undisputed star nation of Africa’s premier badminton competition.
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