Fiji Badminton president Abel Caine says the growth of the 29th Annual Secondary Schools Badminton Tournament signals a new era for the sport in Fiji.
The tournament begins today and runs until Saturday, with 18 schools from around the country set to compete in the biggest edition so far.
Speaking ahead of the tournament, Caine reflected on how quickly the event has expanded under the new administration of Badminton Fiji.
“This year will be again another blockbuster year, with 18 schools participating, up from 11 schools last year in 2025 when the new committee took over, and up again from the very paltry three schools that took part in 2024.”
Caine said the competition has now expanded beyond Suva, with schools traveling from Nadi, Lautoka, and Vanua Levu to participate.
“Last year for the first time ever, two from Vanua Levu, Labasa College and Lekutu Secondary. This year we’ve done ourselves even better with 18 schools from Suva, Nadi, Lautoka, and, again, Lekutu Secondary from the deep heartland of Bua Province.”
Caine also highlighted the sharp increase in player participation this year.
“We have in terms of absolute numbers 162 individual players, up from 105 last year. This year we’ve gone past 50 per cent female participation; last year we only had 48 per cent, and this year we have 52 per cent female participation.”
The three-day tournament will feature both team and individual competitions, with the team’s event beginning today at the FMF Gymnasium before continuing to Yate Sen School on Friday morning. Individual events will begin on Friday afternoon and conclude on Saturday.
