Uganda bids for 2027 Air Badminton Championship

After four days of the Africa Air Badminton Championships at Aero Beach in Entebbe, Badminton Uganda CEO Simon Mugabi says Uganda is going to bid to host the 2027 international air badminton championship at the same venue.

This followed the successful hosting of the Africa Air Badminton Championship at the same venue, which attracted 14 countries, with nine fielding players.

On the other hand, Mugabi is also optimistic that hosting the international event will be a good attraction and will bring cohesion among Ugandan players, allowing them to get acclimatized to the recently introduced format of badminton that is played outdoors.

"The tournament has been a success despite Uganda hosting it for the first time. The players in the region need greater knowledge and practice in the new game, which is why Uganda is opting to bid to host the 2027 event as an international event," noted Mugabi.

The contemporary game of badminton has always been an Olympic indoor game.

Medal winners wth officials. Photo: Silvano Kibuuka

Uganda bounced back in the individual events to claim gold at the third edition of the Africa Air Badminton Championship at Aero Beach in Entebbe after an early exit from the national team competition.

The Ugandan pair of Gladys Mbabazi and Denis Mukasa won the mixed doubles gold medal after defeating Egypt's Aly Ashraf and Noda Sherif 3–2 in the final.

Uganda also secured two bronze medals in the individual events. Mukasa, Muzafaru Lubega, and Bruno Agaba took bronze in the men's triples, while Mbabazi, Tracy Naluwooza, and Olivia Nakajja claimed bronze in the women's triples.

However, Uganda's failure to reach the final of the national team event ruled them out of the World Air Badminton Championships, as only continental champion Egypt earned the right to represent Africa.

Uganda's campaign in the team event ended after defeats to Burkina Faso, 60–53, and Mauritius, 60–47.

Uganda national air badminton coach William Kabindi conceded that the team's failure was regrettable, attributing it partly to the limited pool of players specializing in the new discipline.

"Many of our players were away competing in other continental indoor badminton tournaments, which meant we started training late in the new sport. The solution is to take the game into schools so that we can have specialized air badminton players," Kabindi said.

Mbabazi echoed the coach's concerns, noting that the players had limited time to acclimatize to the demanding sand conditions because of their other international commitments.

"Playing in the sand is not easy, but we kept improving," Mbabazi said after winning the mixed doubles gold with Mukasa.

Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) vice-president Kingsley Mulenga of Zambia hailed the growth of air badminton on the continent, particularly the emergence of countries such as Burkina Faso and Benin, which have a limited presence in indoor badminton.