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Humans of Shuttle Time: Saygufron Davlatov

TEXT BY BWF STAFF

This is the 50th story in our Humans of Shuttle Time series, in which we present the perspectives of those who are involved with badminton at the grassroots level. Saygufron Davlatov, Shuttle Time Teacher with Tajikistan Badminton Federation, speaks about his journey in badminton and why he thinks it’s a great sport for gender equality.

Tryst With Badminton

I come from a farming family and was born and raised in a mountainous area. From a young age, I was passionate about volleyball.

I first encountered badminton back in 1987 when I was appointed physical education teacher. Those days, sports equipment was distributed centrally, and among the other sports gear allocated to the school, I saw a racket and a shuttlecock. We didn’t know the rules or how to mark the court, and sometimes we played over a volleyball net.

My second and closer encounter with badminton happened later, during the years of the country’s independence, at a gender equality training conducted by the Badminton Federation of Tajikistan in Rasht district back in 2014. The federation attracted girls to badminton through training sessions. A tournament was organised, and it was a bright and interesting sporting event where boys and girls competed together, which was a novelty for our region.

First Impressions

As I mentioned, badminton seemed to me to be a bright, beautiful, and elegant game with good dynamics and intensity. People in our region have a traditional lifestyle, and girls’ involvement in sports is not significant. What I saw in badminton was the opportunity to attract girls to sports.

Relationship with Badminton

My relationship with badminton is marked by a strong regret that I didn’t start developing badminton earlier. Despite this, I wanted to get involved and contribute to the development of badminton in my region, particularly to attract more girls to sports. I applied to the federation to participate in Shuttle Time training. The federation assisted in opening a badminton group at the sports school in Rasht district and provided the necessary equipment. I began to participate regularly in various national tournaments.

Memorable Moments

The most memorable event was our region’s first participation in a national tournament — we cheered very strongly and actively for our team, but we didn’t win any medals.

Developing Badminton in the Community

Despite the lack of a suitable sports hall for badminton in my village, I have trained a number of good athletes, two of whom have joined the national team. I also regularly conduct training sessions for physical education teachers to promote badminton. I teach children and teenagers the skills, techniques, and tactics of badminton. I’m 73, and badminton is my way of self-fulfillment.

Impact of Shuttle Time

The Shuttle Time programme has primarily helped promote badminton, a healthy lifestyle, training physical education teachers, and attracting children and youth, especially girls.

All the achievements in badminton, including the increase in the number of people regularly engaged in badminton, the number of badminton groups in sports schools, and victories in national tournaments, have reinforced the belief that nothing is impossible.

Previous Stories in This Series

Humans of Shuttle Time: Rafael Lora

Humans of Shuttle Time: Graham Berry

Humans of Shuttle Time: Alaa Mohamed Youssef Fathy

Humans of Shuttle Time: Raul Jara Tacora

Humans of Shuttle Time: Lerato Lepheane

Humans of Shuttle Time: Genelyn Lansangan

Humans of Shuttle Time: Paulo Jerome Niniano Quidato

Humans of Shuttle Time: Josefa Matasau

Humans of Shuttle Time: Richard Gregory Wong

Humans of Shuttle Time: Alessandro Redaelli

Humans of Shuttle Time: Veronika Protassova