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#2: A thousand
rackets for Haiti
Richard Eaton
A thousand badminton rackets will be sent to Haiti to help
rehabilitate young people and assist them in overcoming
long-lasting traumas after the January earthquake.
Collecting rackets will be supported by some of the world's most
famous players, including Taufik Hidayat, the 2004 Olympic
champion from Indonesia, Pi Hongyan, the world number four from
France, Zhou Mi, the former world number one from China,
Koo Kien Keat, the world number one men's doubles player from
Malaysia, and Nathan Robertson, the 2004 Olympic silver
medallist from Britain.
The idea is the brain-child of Raphael Sachetat, a
badminton writer from France, and was announced today at the 100th
All-England championships at Britain's National Indoor Arena.
Sachetat, the founder of a charity organisation called Solibad,
said: “Most of us know of the therapeutic and social qualities
of playing of badminton, and helping young survivors in Haiti to
play the game can become a very healing way to help re-integrate
them into society.”
Solibad is running the appeal in collaboration with Peace and
Sport, founded by Joel Bouzhou, four times Olympic modern
pentathlon champion, and, with the help of the Haitian Olympic
Committee the two organisations will be aiming to get the
rackets to Haitian eight- to 20-year-olds.
After the earthquake, the Haiti Olympic Committee launched a
programme called Sports Activities for Young People in
conjunction with UNICEF.
This supervises 100,000 of the most disoriented young people
through daily sports activities as well as providing
Psychosocial and educational support. Among the activities are
included football, volleyball, judo, chess, tennis and
badminton.
The badminton appeal, called A Thousand Rackets for Haiti, was
developed after Sachetat heard through the Badminton World
Federation of Peace and Sport's work, and offered to organise
the collecting of rackets.
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#1: Alan Fenwick: 35
years on the line
 As
this is the 100th All England there will undoubtedly be a lot of
people who have a long association with the event. Few though,
can match 72-year-old line judge Alan Fenwick's record.
"I started attending as a spectator in the late 40s," said Alan,
"the first player I saw was Malaysia's Wong Peng Soon, who won
the title wearing long trousers."
Having got the All England bug, Alan has been a linesman for
"about 35 years, maybe more but at least that long, certainly."
Having seen so many championships from a unique perspective,
he's obviously well qualified to comment on the changes over the
years and how the All England is viewed.
"The standard of play has improved almost beyond words, it was
very much an amateur sport when I started and fitness and
technique have improved vastly, as has the depth of the players
and the size of the audience.
 "In
the old days there was no noise allowed at all during the
rallies, and you only got polite applause when the point was
won. Nowadays the spectators are much more involved, and I think
that's a good thing.
"Players have always been extremely polite to me as a linesman,
whatever they may have felt about the calls. I've never had a
player be rude to me personally but I'm certain I've made the
odd error, we all have."
"The oriental players in particular are excellent at accepting
decisions without question, the most they ever do is to just
look at you a certain way!"
"I can't really comment about how the All England compares to
other events, the only other one I've attended is the Swiss Open
when I was working there for a while. I do know that the players
appreciate the atmosphere and history of the event, and with so
many knowledgeable players and spectators it feels a real honour
the be able to be part of an event like this."
So how many more times will Alan watch the lines?
"This is my last year, I decided that a while ago. I'll still
feel part of the event though, I'll come along to watch, and now
they've set up a linejudges association stand on the concourse,
I'm sure I can lend a hand in manning that!
 "In
some respects I'm retiring a bit early, as the setup will change
next year. Up until now we've always had to fund ourselves, and
the famous red Yonex jumpers we wear had to be given back at the
end of each championship.
"Next year though the linesmen are going to be assisted at least
in part with their expenses, treated more like the umpires."
Well deserved too, and although Alan admits that he "may have a
jumper at home", here's to be hoped that the powers to be at
least let him keep his jumper this time, it's the least he
deserves after 35 years' service, surely !!!
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No joking, it really did take until
20-16 in the second before Alan
got to call one 'out'! |
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