Maldivians aiming high

December 1: In the soccer-crazy island nation Maldives, the feather game is making a conscious effort to catch the imagination of youngsters. The Maldives Badminton Association MBA, run by the government, has its share of dreams and goals to make the game more popular in the third millennium.

The six-member team, after a week-long practice session at Dandamudi Rajagopala Rao municipal indoor stadium here, is gearing up to put up an encouraging show at the Asian Satellite championship, which begins at Lal Bahadur indoor stadium at Hyderabad on Saturday.

The government is playing an active role by financing foreign tours. A regular international coach, exposure trips and good infrastructure will allow the game to blossom in the island nation.

Team: Men: Moosa Nashid, Mohammad Sharath, Abdullah Shakeeb, Ahmed Riyay.
Women: Shaheen Rashid, Shakeela Moosa. Manager: Ahmed Mohammad.