Sport
BY RUDDY ALLEN Friday, January 03, 2014Local badminton queen Geordine Henry says a lack of funding is preventing the sport from progressing at the international level.Speaking to the Jamaica Observer earlier this week, Henry said that the Jamaica Badminton Association (JBA) needs funding for players to get the necessary training and exposure to compete at the highest level.“The only thing that is not allowing players to compete at the highest level is the lack of experience and the quality training, which we can only get abroad,” she said.“We can only achieve that with the funding… the majority of us seniors just play for fun because it is money that makes the world go round and we can’t be playing full-time without funds… the JBA needs sponsorships,” she reiterated.The 25-year-old Henry also said that the newlyformed executive board, led by president Robert Richards, has put together a marketing team to provide some assistance in seeking sponsorship for the association.“So far, what I see Mr Richards doing is good; he has a marketing team and that is a start. He also came up with a strategy that the badminton fraternity would enter as many 5K marathons as possible in order for us to be seen and maybe sponsors can come on board,” she said.Henry further said that there are well-dedicated and hard-working players and with training and the requisite sponsorship they can make it to the Olympics.“We have some exceptional juniors coming up and also some well-seasoned seniors who are hard-working and dedicated to the sport, so with the necessary equipment and sponsorship, every Olympics a Jamaican or Jamaicans should be in it,” Henry said.HENRY… the only one thing that is not allowing the JBA to compete at the highest level is the lack of experience and the quality training
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Local queen pleads for funding for badminton
