Cook Islands serves badminton across the generations and prepares for National Island Games

Cook Islands badminton have long had to compete with the nation’s most popular contact sports such as netball, soccer, and rugby.

However, when COVID-19 bought a temporary stop to contact sports, badminton became even more attractive as Shuttle Time sessions became oversubscribed. With parents.

Quickly adapting to the new ‘ways of working’, the Cook Islands Badminton secured a space in a hostel to host sessions for avid players.

Shuttle Time teachers and alumni-turned-junior national squad players lead the sessions which quickly became of high interest to the community interest. New participants were subscribing each day and their accompanying parents were just as eager to join in.

Thankfully, availability of the space allowed for extra session to cope with the demands and the smaller groups currently permitted to gather in the community.

Badminton Cook Islands were quick to capitalise on the success of Shuttle Time as they organised a fun doubles tournament to enhance the (already-strong) Spirit with a ‘Clash of the Generators’ tournament – where a whopping 48 teams entered, putting the nations Shuttle Time equipment to further use.

The tournament made sure to include opportunities for all to have fun with awards that you might not usually see at badminton tournaments such as: Best Dressed, Biggest Age Difference, Most Unrelated and Youngest Competitor.

Gail Eraio (Badminton Cook Islands Secretary) and her partner were just one of the teams who took part in the event calling themselves the Eraio Energizers with uniforms to match and winning the award for having the biggest age difference in a pair.

“Eraio Energizers played 5 games won 3 lost 2 – weren’t the winners but everyone had a great time”

“It was a super day with mums and dads, aunties and uncles, Brothers and sisters, nieces, nephews all teaming up to total 48 teams in the tournament”, says Eraio

The fun-factor tournament kickstarted a chain of successful events for the nation, as the National Junior Championships followed throughout August.

Many of the participants from both events are now preparing for the upcoming Cook Islands Games, from 3-17 October, on the island of Rarotonga.

Badminton is among 21 sports to be included in the reboot of the Games, with ambitions to further develop domestic athletes who are based in the Cook Islands and have missed out on further opportunities this year due to COVID-19 – which includes many of the participants from the VICTOR Oceania Championships 2019 and previous Pacific Junior Development Camps.

Follow Badminton Cook Islands for the latest updates.

Shuttle Time Bounces Back After COVID19 Takes Over

The Pacific Islands are a unique group of countries and islands. They are tucked away in the western- and eastern-most parts of the world, with some countries crossing the international date line.

The Cook Islands is one of the last countries in the world to see out the day but they are also one of the leading examples of badminton in the Pacific, utilising the Shuttle Time Schools Programme to increase participation across the island.

Like many of the Pacific Islands, the nation responded quickly to the development of COVID-19 as they do not benefit from the same health systems and support compared to many western nations. Just like their neighbours, the Cook Islands went straight into a compulsory lockdown, but were able to resume a semi-normal life after just three weeks.

In the pre-lockdown period, badminton would compete with the likes of netball, soccer and rugby which prevail as the most popular sports. However, the government restrictions did not allow these contact sports to take place once the lockdown was lifted, creating opportunity for badminton to capitalise on their previous momentum.

“It became badminton’s responsibility to provide something for the kids.”, says Thomas Mereana-Ngauru, Shuttle Time National Coordinator of Cook Islands.

As soon as badminton was allowed to take place, the balloons were out and the fundamentals of badminton became the talk of the town. Many of the government buildings and sports facilities remained closed, but Badminton Cook Islands secured the use of a hostel with space for two badminton courts to run Shuttle Time sessions for enthusiasts.

Led by the trained teachers and Shuttle Time alumni turned junior national squad players, the team were able to assist the sessions following an influx of interest. With reduced space, the team upped the ante and began delivering Shuttle Time sessions daily, splitting the groups into smaller classes so the children could get maximum badminton action.

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“We wanted to make sure the kids had fun activities to look forward to, especially while other sporting codes were out of action. Their reactions have been incredible – lots of smiling faces and we’re confident many kids will continue to stay part of our badminton community”, says Mereana-Ngauru.

Most of the fresh faces are aged between 9-12, but their accompanying parents have become just as eager to get involved. So much, that the Cook Islands are introducing their first family tournament using the Shuttle Time equipment to take place on ‘Ui Ariki Day’ – a public holiday which celebrates the history of the nation’s chiefs and traditional leaders.

As the world continues to battle on with the COVID-19 pandemic, the borders remain closed. However, Shuttle Time continues to prosper and bring joy into the lives of hundreds of children across the Cook Islands.

Follow the latest news and developments on Badminton Cook Islands and Badminton Oceania Facebook Page.

BWF Shuttle Time Project of the Month July 2020: Cook Islands bounces back after COVID19 takes over

The Pacific Islands are a unique group of countries and islands. They are tucked away in the westernmost and easternmost parts of the world, with some countries crossing the international date line.

Among the remoteness, the Cook Islands are one of the last countries in the world to see out the day. They are also one of the leading examples of badminton in the Pacific, utilising the Shuttle Time programme to increase participation across the island.

Like many of the Pacific Islands, the nation responded quickly to the development of COVID19 as they do not benefit from the same health systems and support compared to many western nations. Just like their neighbors, the Cook Islands went straight into a compulsory lockdown, but were able to resume a semi-normal life after just three weeks.

In the pre-lockdown era, badminton was having to compete with the likes of netball, soccer and rugby which prevail as the most popular sports. However, the government restrictions did not allow these contact sports to take place once the lockdown was lifted, creating opportunity for badminton to capitalise on their previous momentum.

“It became badminton’s responsibility to provide something for the kids.”, says Thomas Mereana-Ngauru.

As soon as badminton was allowed to take place, the balloons were out and the fundamentals of badminton became the talk of the town. Many of the government buildings and sports facilities remained closed, Badminton Cook Islands’ secured the use of a hostel with space for two badminton courts to run Shuttle Time sessions for enthusiasts.

Lead by the trained teachers and ‘Shuttle Time alumni turned junior national squad players’, the team were able to assist the sessions following an influx of interest. With reduced space, the team upped the ante and began delivering Shuttle Time sessions daily, splitting the groups into smaller classes so the children can get maximum badminton action.

“We wanted to make sure the kids had fun activities to look forward, especially while other sporting codes were out of action. Their reactions have been incredible – lots of smiling faces and we’re confident many kids will continue to stay part of our badminton community”, says Thomas.

Most of the fresh faces are aged between 9-12, but their accompanying parents have become just as eager to get involved. So much that the Cook Islands are introducing their first Family Tournament using the Shuttle Time equipment to take place on ‘Ui Ariki Day’ – a public holiday which celebrates the history of the nation’s chiefs and traditional leaders.

As the world continues to battle on with the COVID19 pandemic, the borders remain closed. However, Shuttle Time continues to prosper and bring joy into the lives of hundreds of children across the Cook Islands.

Follow the latest news and developments on Badminton Cook Islands and Badminton Oceania Facebook Page.

Thomas Mereana-Ngauru wins at Cook Islands Sports Awards

Pictured: Badminton Cook Islands President Thomas Mereana-Ngauru (left) with Shuttle Time teachers

Badminton Cook Islands celebrated one of their biggest triumphs at the Cook Islands Sports Awards over the weekend. Collectively, the organisation was nominated in six categories, with President Thomas Mereana-Ngauru going on to win the Sports Administrator of the Year for the second time.

He is no stranger to the title, having already won the award in 2016 when Badminton Cook Islands were building momentum and a strong reputation.

The sport has gone from strength to strength under Thomas’ leadership since attending a Player Performance Pathway workshop delivered by the BWF and World Academy of Sport. The course helped to formulate their Strategic Plan, mapping out player pathways from grassroots to performance. Since then, the nation has seized all of the opportunities given to them and the results are starting to show.

“I am delighted to hear Thomas has again won the administrator of the year award. He is a thoroughly deserving candidate who has done a grand job of motivating his group of volunteers to deliver the pathway from Shuttle Time sessions to attending international competitions like the VICTOR Oceania Junior Championships”, says Badminton Oceania’s Development Manager, Nadia Bleaken.

The strong organisation is testament to the decision to host this year’s Oceania Masters in Paradise in Rarotonga to further develop the capacity and skills of local organisers. Unfortunately, the event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but remains in contention to feature on the 2021 calendar at the Edgewater Resort – which was also the location of the Cook Islands Sports Awards.

Badminton Cook Islands were up for a record total of six nominations this year:

  • Danniel Daniel – Junior Sportsman of the Year
  • Tereapii Akavi – Junior Sportswoman of the Year
  • AIMS Games 2019 team – Team of the Year
  • Team attending the VICTOR Oceania Junior Championships 2019 – Achievement of the Year
  • John Taulu – Coach of the Year

The Cook Islands were one of the few countries from Oceania that encountered limited impact from the COVID-19 pandemic and have been back up and running with Shuttle Time sessions and national squad training for the past three weeks.

Follow the latest updates and development with Badminton Cook Islands on their Facebook page.

Badminton Cook Islands celebrate a record six nominations at the Cook Islands Sports Awards

Badminton Cook Islands are celebrating after a total of five nominations at the Cook Islands Sports Awards, including two junior players in the Junior Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year categories.

Danniel Daniel was nominated following his ‘outstanding’ record over the last year, taking the national titles in men’s singles, doubles and mixed doubles in the U15 and U19 age group recently. He also entered the Open event where he finished runner up in all three disciplines.

Similarly, Tereapii Akavi competed in the Anchor AIMS Games in November 2019 and brought home two medals following a successful campaign in the women’s singles and doubles.

The AIMS team have also made the shortlist for Team of the Year, alongside the team who attending the VICTOR Oceania Championships 2019 for Sporting Achievement of the Year. Additionally, John Taulu is nominated for Coach of the Year and the federation’s President, Thomas Mereana-Ngauru, is up for Administrator of the Year (which he previously won in 2016).

Daniel and Akavi have attended the Pacific Junior Development camps and VICTOR Oceania Championships over the last two years and have shown remarkable signs of progress.

“I believe that the sports awards are a great opportunity for codes to celebrate the achievements of their athletes especially for us with so many in 2019“, says Badminton Cook Islands President, Thomas Mereana-Ngauru

The junior players are up against other aspiring athletes from athletics, bowls, kayaking, table tennis and tennis who are excelling in their respective sports.

The annual event has a history in awarding the finest achievements, including the countries only Commonwealth Games medallist, Taiki Paniani, who won bronze in the lawn bowls men’s pairs event at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Paniani was presented with the Sportsman of the Year title in 2018. Both Daniel and Akavi have hopes to follow in his footsteps:

“It’s a great way to motivate our athletes and to be inspired by other athletes”, says Thomas.

Regardless of the outcome, both players could make history this year as they are on track to represent the Cook Islands in the BWF World Junior Championships 2020 – the first time an individual from their country has entered the World Championships.

The winners of the Cook Islands Sports Awards were originally scheduled to be announced on Sunday 22 March 2020. However, the event has been postponed to a later date (to be confirmed) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Follow the latest updates and development with Badminton Cook Islands on their Facebook page.

Cook Island juniors competing on their biggest stage yet – VICTOR Oceania Championships 2020

Pictured: Damus Matakinio and Morani Karikia, Cook Islands. Photo credit: Badminton Victoria

When 15 and 16-year-old, Eleanor Wichman and Vaitoti Tupa walked on to the court against world number 79 pair, Oliver Leydon-Davis and Anona Pak, they knew they were about to be on the receiving end of their toughest match yet.

Danniel Daniel and Tereapii Akavi

It was a challenging day for all of the aspiring juniors from Cook Islands. Danniel Daniel and Tereapii Akavi were up against two of Australia’s highest ranked Junior players, Angela and Jack Yu, while some of the other team members were up against top seeded players in the singles draw.

However, just like they did in last year’s Mixed Team event, the juniors let their team spirit shine through. To the delight of the more experienced players from Australia and New Zealand, their attitudes did not go unnoticed.

“The team had really good spirit, I could hear them cheering all the time and it shows in their communication with each other on the court”, says Anona Pak.

“I was surprised to find out they were junior players. I think they did really well and with more experience and working on their first three shots, I’m sure we’ll see lots of improvements in the future”, says Oliver Leydon-Davis.

All of the players in the team started playing badminton thanks to the BWF Shuttle Time programme, which inspired them to pick up a racket. Over the last year, they have attended two Pacific Junior Development camps in Auckland and last week’s Oceania Development Camp, organised by Badminton Oceania.

Naturally, the anticipation for the event was unsettling on day one, but experience is key for the player’s development.

“They were definitely nervous heading on to the courts today… it’s important for them to gain more experience and not to think too much about who they are playing against”, says team coach, Thomas.

The team are following a similar path to the youngsters from Tonga, who also came through the BWF Shuttle Time programme. With more experience on the international stage (with some of the players competing in last year’s YONEX North Harbour International too), the results are already paying off for the team.

Lata ‘Isitolo celebrated a huge win on day one, overcoming the Samoa 2019 Pacific Games gold medalist, Dgenyva Matauli. ‘Isitolo is up against last year’s Oceania Junior champion, Shaunna Li of New Zealand in the round of 16.

The Tongans have also participated in recent Pacific Junior and Oceania Development camps over the last year, and we are excited to see what the future holds for the enthusiastic youngsters.

Follow the results from the VICTOR Oceania Championships 2020 on Tournament Software.

Follow the latest updates and development with Badminton Cook Islands on their Facebook page.

BWF Shuttle Time helps schools to extend sports curriculum in Aitutaki, Cook Islands

The Cook Islands are one of the many countries in the Pacific that are formed of multiple islands – another challenge faced by our Member Associations when promoting BWF Shuttle Time among their communities.

Cook Islands Badminton recently extended their reach to Aitutaki, known locally as ‘a little paradise’, which is home to approximately 1800 people. The island has seen various Vaka and Kitesurfing competitions, as well as playing host to Survivor and Shipwreck TV Series.

Secluded in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and just under a one-hour flight away from Rarotonga, President of Cook Islands Badminton (Thomas Mereana-Ngauru) travelled to the island earlier this month.

Equipped with knowledge of the BWF Shuttle Time programme and school sets (including rackets, shuttlecocks, balloons, cone and badminton nets), Thomas delivered a series of workshops to primary school teachers and youth leaders so they could continue to run sessions on the island.

Having come from Aitutaki himself, Thomas acknowledges that island life is “slow and relaxing” however they are also known for their friendliness and “outstanding athletes”.

“The four main codes on the island include soccer, volleyball, netball and rugby and the schools have been looking forward for another code to be introduced to the school sports calendar”

Badminton was well received by over 250 children from Araura Primary School, Tekaaroa Adventist School, Apii Vaitau school and Tautu Christian Youth Group took part in the session throughout the first week of December.

“For three-quarters of the attendees, it was the first time they have picked up a racket”, says Thomas.

The school sets were left with the schools and community groups so they can continue to learn more about BWF Shuttle Time on the island.

For the latest news and updates from the nation, follow the Badminton Cook Islands Facebook page.

Junior Pacific Development Camp motivates AIMS Games medalist, Tehani Matapo

Pictured: Tehani Matapo (right) Cook Islands

Tehani Matapo, from the Cook Islands, was one of the youngsters attending last week’s Oceania Junior Pacific Development Camp.

Taking place in Auckland, Matapo was back in the land of one of her greatest badminton memories, after celebrating a tremendous run in last month’s Anchor AIMS Games in Tauranga, New Zealand.

Alongside fellow compatriot, Tereapii Akavi, the pair walked away with a silver medal following an appearance in the Girl’s Doubles Division 1 Women’s Doubles Finals.

Matapo doubled up on her silver as finished runner up in the Girl’s Singles Division 2 Singles Final too.

Having picked up the sport two years ago from BWF Shuttle Time sessions, Matapo is eager to learn from the Development Camp, accompanied by her ‘motivational and inspirational’ coach, Thomas Mereana-Ngauru.

“My overhead shots are my main strengths but throughout the development camp, I need to work on my backhand shots and my serves.”

“At the AIMS Games, I realised the importance of staying calm during matches as then I make less mistakes. So the Development Camp is a good opportunity to stay focused and practice”, says Tehani.

All of the players attending (from Tonga, Samoa and the Cook Islands) are part of the Tier 3 Player Development programme. They took part in a number of on-court sessions, followed by a handful of workshops to learn more about nutrition, equipment, stretching and preparing for tournaments – lead by Oceania’s regional junior champion and Tier 1 player, Edward Lau from New Zealand.

Meanwhile, Thomas Mereana-Ngauru was one of the coaches from the Pacific Islands attending the development camp to gain more knowledge and coaching experience towards his BWF Level 1 Coaching qualification.

Mereana-Ngauru was one of the coaches awarded a pass upon his successful completion, aided with the skills and knowledge to lead more sessions back in the Cook Islands and help aspiring players like Tehani continue to develop their game.

Follow the latest updates and development with Badminton Cook Islands on their Facebook page.

Pacific Represented at AIMS Games

10 young athletes from Cook Islands and 2 from Tonga travelled to Tauranga, New Zealand to take part in the badminton competition at the 2016 AIMS Games last week.  The AIMS Games is an annual multi-sport competition for Intermediate & Middle school students, and has grown over the years to 9300 competitiors this year – it’s as close as 11-13 year olds get to the Olympics!

BWF’s Shuttle Time Schools Badminton Programme proved to be an excellent springboard into this level of competition as the participants from Tonga’s Liahona School and Cook Island’s Apii Avarua and Nukutere College showed good skill and a lot of heart to achieve performances which placed them in the top half of the competition in their first ever tournament.  Being the only international visitors to the event meant additional media interest with TV interviews and articles in the local Bay of Plenty Times newspaper.

Tonga was the first country in the world to implementShuttle Time back in 2011 and this showed with the boys able to show their strength taking each other on in the final of division 2 of singles, and winning the 3rd/4th playoff in division 1 of doubles to take an AIMS Games bronze medal home.

Cook Islands established Shuttle Time in their schools last year, and just 4 months of preparation, training and fundraising to attend their first big competition saw these players showing off their athletic talent fighting it out in divisions 2-4, taking a win in division 4 of the girls’ singles and division 3 of girls’ doubles competition.

AIMS Games is the perfect step from Shuttle Time into player development, as well as gaining a huge amount of badminton experience all participants gained huge life experience, whether it was their first trip overseas or meeting many new friends – we hope to see more Oceania teams taking part next year!

Follow the latest updates and development with Badminton Cook Islands on their Facebook page.