Their squad of eight, one of whom celebrated her fifteenth birthday as she played her final match on Friday, represent a new generation of athletes in a sport that was unknown in the Pacific kingdom a decade ago.
But, gradually, badminton is taking hold in Tonga, thanks to Badminton World Federation’s Shuttle Time development program, introduced to Tonga in 2013, and funded by the Australian government through the Pacific Sports Partnerships since 2015.
