Best badminton team selected – Ramdhani

President of the Guyana Badminton Association, Gokaran Ramdhani believes that the team selected to represent Guyana in Badminton at this year’s Inter-Guiana Games (IGG) renamed the ‘Goodwill Games’ following French Guiana’s decision to sit out this year, is the best team available at the present time.
Guyana won silver in 2014, the first time Badminton was introduced in the IGG.

Ramdhani indicated that the top male player, Narayan Ramdhani is currently on scholarship in Vancouver and cannot participate but nevertheless the team is in good hands with some experienced players.
It is also understood that the team was selected based on a unique updated ranking system that the Badminton Association implements as well as sticking to the rules of the Games, being all athletes must be under 19 years old and enrolled in an educational institution.
Marian Academy’s Jonathon Mangra will take up the responsibility of leading the male team which include school mates, Ronald Changyuen and Akili Haynes (reserved player) as well as Covent Garden Secondary’s Tyrese Jeffrey.
The female team is also a capable trio with Priyana Ramdhani of Marian Academy teaming up with Kara Abrams of Queen’s College and Ambika Ramraj of School of the Nations.
The younger players will look to the experience of Mangra, Ramdhani and Ramraj who have all participated in the Games before.
The president of the association indicated that the sport is a tactical sport and with good planning the team can win as they require three points out of five to automatically win.
The different contests Badminton are; Boy’s Singles, Boys’ Doubles, Girl’s Singles, Girls Doubles and Mixed Doubles.
The Goodwill Games will begin on Friday and run until Sunday with four venues across Guyana with Suriname and the hosts competing in seven disciplines including, Badminton, Volleyball, Track and Field, Swimming, Basketball and for the first time, Futsal.
Badminton will be played on Saturday at the National Gymnasium from 09:00h.