Get Guardian on Google
Players from about 34 countries including hosts, Nigeria are expected to compete for the $25,000 prize money in the fifth edition of the Lagos International Badminton Classics, which serves off tomorrow at the indoor sports hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere.
The five-day African championship is slated to end on Saturday, July 27.
At the weekend, the Badminton World Federation in conjunction with the Nigeria Badminton Federation organised a two-day course for the umpires ahead of the championship to update them and assist the officiating officials, who wish to become international umpires.
[ad]
According to the organisers, the course became pertinent because the success of the tournament depended largely on the umpires, who were expected to show fair judgment, good management and situation control.
While explaining the role of the umpires, the officials of the Badminton World Federation, Carrel Julie Carrel and Jozef Kuprivec, stated that the governing body places great premium on the Lagos Badminton Classics and the course to ensure that the country benefited from hosting the international championship.
Twenty-four umpires picked from different parts of the country took part in the course, while six of them were from Lagos State.
The Director General of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Oluwatoyin Gafaar said the knowledge gained would help the officials to do their job better, adding that Lagos was ready to host another successful tournament.
