Two years ago, Omina didn’t play any sports. Now, she is a national badminton champion.
Fourteen-year-old Omina Okhonqadamova took up the sport of badminton in 2019 in Khorog, Tajikistan. She is a student at a badminton training program developed in Khorog in partnership with Shuttlesport Badminton Academy in British Columbia.
After decades of coaching competitive badminton teams and running his own academy Shuttlesport CEO Arif Mawani wanted to expand his training program to low-resource countries. Arif and Head Coach Nekruz Asmatbekov connected after the 2016 Jubilee Games and a five-year collaborative agreement was developed with a commitment to open three badminton academies in Khorog. Arif began planning for Nekruz and other coaches from Tajikistan to travel to BC for training. But their plans were thwarted.
In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and international travel was no longer permitted. Arif quickly pivoted the training to a virtual platform, developing new practice manuals and recording drills and exercises. Video calls were used to observe the skill level of players, the facility and resources available, and tailor the program accordingly.
Coach Nekruz adapted quickly, working through online coaching courses and absorbing resources from Arif. In addition to a full-time job, Coach Nekruz led practices 3-4 days a week at 7am. He is passionate about promoting badminton in Khorog and supporting kids who want to excel in the sport.
The players and their parents were equally committed, even when training facilities were suboptimal. One ice-cold morning in January 2021, the training gym had no heating and it was tough for the players to practice. Instead of cancelling practice, the parents banded together and found ways of blowing heat into the building, allowing the kids to complete their training.
It was in this environment that Omina trained and excelled in badminton. The Aga Khan Youth and Sports Board (AKYSB) in Canada spoke with Omina to find out how she achieved her great success in such a short time, and with the added challenge of COVID-19.
In just two short years, Shuttlesport has established three academies in Tajikistan and is currently training over 100 participants in Khorog. Congratulations to Omina, Coach Nekruz, Arif and all players!
Interviewer (AKYSB): Omina, can you tell us about yourself?
Omina Okhonqadamova (OO): My name is Omina Okhonqadamova. I am 14 years old and I am in the 8th grade. I started playing badminton two years ago. I love badminton very much and want to be a champion.
AKYSB: What are your training sessions like?
OO: We focus on physical exercise when we don’t have an upcoming tournament. When we have a tournament, we switch to technical training on the court. In one day, we practice twice; in the morning and afternoon. Coach Nekruz always checks in with us, he asks about how we are doing in our studies and talks to us about being healthy.
AKYSB: Can you tell us about your experience playing in national tournaments?
OO: I play in tournaments around the country; in Dushanbe, in the East of Tajikistan and in Khorog. After training twice a day for many months, I soon became the top player in my age group. When I became a champion I was happy and really proud of myself.
AKYSB: What is your biggest challenge when playing badminton?
OO: I sometimes miss my training because of my studies. But Coach Nekruz tells us firstly to focus on our studies and that we always need to have balance. I can now manage my time well and I think next year won’t be so difficult for me.
AKYSB: What guidance do you have for young people who want to play badminton?
OO: The most important advice I would give to young people is to follow the guidance of the coach and attend training sessions. Then, if you want to achieve success at a high level, you have to work very hard, have inspiration and love the sport you play.
AKYSB: Will you continue playing badminton?
OO: Yes, I want to continue playing for a long time; of course this depends on my family’s situation. My goal was to play in the national finals and that is why I achieved it. Now I want to participate in competitions outside of Tajikistan. I would like to study at the University of Central Asia but also keep up with badminton. My dream is to be able to excel in my studies and also be an international badminton player.
We also spoke with Coach Nekruz about the impact of COVID-19 on training, and how he managed to run a successful training program under Arif’s virtual mentorship.
AKYSB: How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted training?
Coach Nekruz (CN): There was a 4-month delay in receiving donated equipment from Shuttlesport BC, so we did not have enough for everyone initially. Gyms closed and tournaments were cancelled, so we had to stop training. But I wanted to keep players motivated so we focused on exercise. When we could train again, we followed COVID-19 guidelines. Arif was always there to help us keep up with training.
AKYSB: Do you enjoy being a Coach?
CN: Yes I really enjoy it. Even if in the future I was director of a company, I would still coach my students. I enjoy talking with them and training with them; it is my hobby. I have started many sports here in the GBAO (Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast) region through AKYSB; football, basketball etc. But badminton was a new sport for us. It is now a popular sport in Tajikistan and we see it on TV on the local channels.
AKYSB: Can you tell us more about the national tournaments?
CN: We had never prepared for a national tournament before in GBAO. Six teams played from across the country. In our last tournament in Khorog, a member of our team faced the undefeated champion in their category. This champion competed in Russia and other countries, so he had more experience. But this time, our team, who had never played a tournament outside Tajikistan, was able to beat him. It was unbelievable and an incredibly high achievement for us.
By Nadia Mithani
