LIME boost for schools' badminton

Robert Bailey, Gleaner Writer

The Jamaica Badminton Association (JBA) received a major boost on Wednesday when telecommunications company LIME handed over a cheque for $2.9 million to the association's president Vishu Tolan.

The one-year sponsorship will cover all the JBA's school tournaments and also the inner-city competitions. Errol Miller, regional vice-president of communication for LIME, whose company is sponsoring the JBA for the 19th consecutive year, said they are committed to the development of sports across the island.

"This is basically about young people and part of our philosophy is that we must provide as many opportunities as we can for them to achieve their full potential," said Miller during the press launch, which was held at The Pegasus hotel in St Andrew. "Sports is always going to be one of the avenues that young people use to get along in the world and to make a name for themselves."

Miller added: "We also believe that we should help to provide opportunities for our young people because we live here, we work here and we make our money here, and so we have to invest it back into our young people, and it will provide avenues for them to gain wider exposure across the world."

Feeling of joy

Tolan, president of the JBA, expressed delight at the sponsorship.

"I am very elated because badminton in Jamaica cannot exist without LIME," said Tolan with a smile on his face. "With LIME coming on board it is a feeling of joy and feeling that we can achieve a lot more for our juniors and our youth development programmes."

Tolan added that the sponsorship will cover all their school tournaments, which includes the senior league, senior knockout, junior league and the junior knockout competitions, and also inner-city tournaments.

"Hopefully, we can also manage the funds in a way that we can eke some out of it to fund our junior national programmes," Tolan noted.