School sport: Carnival time for primary pupils

BADMINTON: Hundreds of enthusiastic youngsters are set to get a taste of the past when they attend a special badminton carnival to help celebrate Badminton Scotland's centenary.

The event - in which primary school children from across Scotland will wear clothes from yesteryear and use wooden rackets - will take place on 3 March at Scotstoun in Glasgow.

Badminton carnivals are often held throughout the country to get youngsters excited about the sport, have fun and learn the core skills needed as they look to continue playing into their teens. However, nothing has been held on such a scale before and Dawn Middleton, from Badminton Scotland, said: "It is shaping up to be a great event. We want as many as possible to enjoy playing badminton and something different like this just adds to the fun."

Meanwhile, Badminton Scotland are currently working hard to engage with more schools and teachers so that the sport is taught properly. Late last year, more than 3000 children were introduced to badminton during the Scottish National Championships in Glasgow.