BWF’s flagship Shuttle Time programme envisions giving every child the chance to play badminton for life. In some cases, the opportunities it creates enables children not just to play, but to pursue badminton at the highest level – all the way to the Olympics.
Two such examples at Paris 2024 were El Salvador’s Uriel Francisco Canjura Artiga and India’s Tanisha Crasto.
Artiga’s journey started on a mud court in the back of his mother’s home in rural El Salvador.
“It was a dirt court with lines painted with white ash – I remember my mum got up every morning with my stepfather to draw it. I enjoyed playing there and it made me stronger in the end. It gave me better footwork and made me stronger in the legs.”
His stepfather, who was a prominent figure in the badminton community, began running a BWF Shuttle Time programme once a week, and Canjuro was an enthusiastic participant. By the time he was 15, he had decided to head out for bigger things. He left his home to move to the capital to train at the National Institute of Sports.
Crasto followed a very different route. Growing up in Dubai to Indian parents, Crasto picked up the sport at five, following her father to his club. As a talented child winning local tournaments, Crasto was identified among the group of school children who would be involved in BWF’s Shuttle Time programme in Dubai, which coincided with the Dubai World Superseries Finals beginning 2014.
Several top players, including Peter Gade and Kidambi Srikanth, were roped in to popularise the sport in the region, and Crasto remembers with gratitude the difference this made to her aspirations.
“My first Instagram post was the BWF Shuttle Time with Srikanth,” recalls Crasto. “I was winning a lot of tournaments in Dubai, so they knew I could go to the next level. We could meet the top players like Srikanth, Saina, Sindhu and even Peter Gade. All of this was because of Shuttle Time Dubai. For us, it was a lucky moment to get to meet such world class players. I had a session with Peter Gade, he gave me great advice and it has really helped me in my career, it was motivating and inspiring.
With consistent performances at the junior level. Crasto decided to pursue her career in India. Partnering Ashwini Ponnappa, the two qualified for Crasto’s first – and Ponnappa’s third – Olympics.