By Lim Yong Teck/Red Sports
62-year-old Juwari Somadi is one of the participants in the ActiveSG badminton interest programme at Jurong East Sports Centre. (Photo 1 © Lim Yong Teck/Red Sports)
Jurong East Sports Centre, Wednesday, June 4, 2014 — Under the ActiveSG badminton interest programme, like-minded individuals who share a passion for badminton gather every Wednesday to pit their skills against one another.
ActiveSG aims to provide affordable sports programmes for Singaporeans of all ages and levels. It is one of the recommendations of Vision 2030.
From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Wednesday, badminton enthusiasts gather at Jurong East Sports Hall for an enjoyable time of non-competitive badminton games. The programme is managed by a convener from Sport Singapore, who will ensure fair play amongst participants. In addition, adults need only pay a monthly fee of $15 to gain access to the programme. For senior citizens, the fee is just $5.
Currently, there are about 25 active adults, who have been participating on a regular basis. Since its inauguration in February 2014, the programme has helped to forge friendships among the participants, who are mostly made up of seniors and taxi drivers who live in the area.
“I think this is a good platform for the participants to stay healthy at their age. Most of them have told me that they look forward to their badminton days here. In fact, I think this is the only form of exercise that they do throughout the week,” said Faizal Othman, convener of the programme.
“The participants are very active and eager, and you can see that they’re very happy playing despite their age. Their standard is not bad considering their age,” added Faizal.
“I think the programme is very good, especially with Mr Faizal around. He has helped us a lot with the booking of the courts to getting the shuttlecocks, which makes it very easy for us to play. And it’s good because it encourages us to be healthy,” said Juwari Somadi, who has been playing the sport since 1985.
Juwari, a taxi driver by day, found out about the programme through Faizal. “Faizal was the one who introduced me to the programme. We have been playing badminton together for a while already, so when they started the programme, he asked if I wanted to join.”
Over the past four months, the 62-year-old has helped bring in new participants, with most of them being his personal friends and taxi drivers. For most of the participants, the programme schedule allows them to take a short break away from their work, and play the sport in a relaxed environment.
The oldest participant is Bakar Bin Muhamad, 75, who still plays the sport thrice weekly despite his age. “I like playing, and I stay nearby. I’m happy to just come here and play with everybody. All of us are good friends now.”
The badminton interest programme is also available at other venues. ActiveSG is also planning to introduce the programme at two other venues, Bukit Gombak and Yio Chu Kang Sports Centres. The programme at Bukit Gombak is slated to commence in July 2014, while the programme at Yio Chu Kang is scheduled to start in August 2014.
Venues and schedules
Yishun Sports Centre, Mondays, 7–9 p.m.
Jurong West Sports Centre, Tuesdays, 7–9 p.m.
Jurong East Sports Centre, Wednesdays, 11–2 p.m.
Clementi Sports Centre, Thursdays, 7–9 p.m.
Choa Chu Kang Sports Centre, Fridays, 7–9 p.m.
For more details, go to: myactivesg.com
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