What prompted Senegal Badminton Federation (FESBAD) to build awareness around the often-overlooked topic of menstruation?
“Menstrual hygiene is a major issue for girls’ education in Africa,” says FESBAD President Antoine Jean Diandy. “The role of coaches is fundamental in helping athletes to deal with pain and discomfort during competitions… as a young Federation managing young girls of pubertal age or undergoing morphological transformation, it is important to play a pioneering role in raising awareness.”
FESBAD President Antoine Jean Diandy
Commemorating International Women’s Day 2024 on 10 March 2024, FESBAD organised an all-women activity focussed on menstruation during competition. Titled “Managing Menstruation During Competitions and Best Practices for Girls”, the activity educated 600 girls, including those with disabilities, on menstrual health and female emancipation in badminton. Sanitary pads were distributed, followed by a Shuttle Time session with the participants, making it an impactful and memorable activity for the 600 girls. The project saw Senegal Badminton Federation win the Inclusion Award (jointly with Azerbaijan) at the BWF Member Association Awards in April.
Explaining how the project took shape, Diandy said: “FESBAD has a Gender Equity commission, and within this commission, themes such as girls’ leadership in our federations, patriotism, sustainable development actions such as reforestation and recycling of shuttlecocks, and mental health in sport are the subject of panels and discussions. As managing menstruation during competitions is an important issue for girls, the women-led committee had a duty to discuss with our young badminton players the practices and behaviours they should adopt to better manage stress and other discomforts. The mothers present at the meeting were able to discuss hygiene, the use of towels, etc. without taboos.”
The Inclusion Award from BWF, said Diandy, gave FESBAD “greater credibility and recognition”.
Officials of FESBAD with participants
“It’s a feeling of being honoured for a team effort, and it shows the commitment of the young human resources we have within this new Federation, which is one of the newest in Senegal, a country of football, traditional wrestling and basketball.
“Our inclusive vision has resulted in innovative activities for these vulnerable groups. Badminton is spreading throughout the country, albeit with all the difficulties we encounter, but our motivation and determination remain intact.
“At the Bangkok Forum, I said that we were going to learn from the great badminton nations, while at the same time being an innovative federation with good practices. We are delighted by this award, which gives us greater credibility and recognition from our supervisory body and the Senegalese authorities.”
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