AFTER a long break of 24 years, Nigeria’s biggest badminton tournament, the Ikoyi Club 1938 National Badminton Classic, is making a return.
The tournament will be held from Wednesday to Saturday this week at the Ikoyi Club in Lagos.
This is the third edition of the Classic, with the second edition held in 1999.
Speaking at the unveiling of programmes lined up for this third edition of the Classic, President of the Nigeria Badminton Federation (BFN), Francis Orbih, said that the country’s best 16 men and best 16 women’s players will compete for prizes at the tournament.
“This competition started as a National Badminton Open in 1989 and nine editions took place before it became the Ikoyi Club National Badminton Classic,” Orbih explained.
“Two editions of the Classic were held between 1998 and 1999 before it went into the cooler. But thank God that after 24 years absence, the Classic is back bigger.”
Orbih noted that from the next edition, all the other categories like the men’s and women’s doubles as well as the mixed doubles will be featured.
“In the past, if you had not played the Ikoyi Club Classic, you haf not yet played badminton in Nigeria. We are determined to make it the competition that top badminton players look forward to with excitement,” the BFN president added.
The return of the Classic has heralded the creation of a Badminton Hall of Fame, where personalities that have contributed to the growth of the sport in Nigeria will be appreciated and recognised.
“The idea behind the Badminton Hall of Fame is to recognise and appreciate those who have contributed to the game while they are alive and not when gone and no longer with us,” Orbih said, adding that those to be honoured will be unveiled on the final day of the event.
Chairman of the Badminton Section of Ikoyi Club 1938, Thomas Adeoye, expressed his excitement over the return of the Classic, stressing that the section will do everything to ensure that it is held annually from now onwards.
Apart from the prize money of N500,000, N300,000 and N150,000 on offer for the winner, first runner-up and the second runner-up in the men’s and women’s categories, all players at this edition will get an amount for playing in the Classic, according to the BFN.
