In an open space, senior citizens — some long retired from any sort of physical activity — are now reaching, smiling, and laughing as a slow-moving shuttlecock drifts gently between them.
Age retreats. Rhythm returns. Badminton, the country’s cultural oxygen, begins to fill the small area at Pertubuhan Kebajikan Warga Emas Sungai Chua with fresh energy.
This is Shuttle Time Seniors, a new initiative by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) that aims to bring the sport’s gentle movements, social warmth, and cognitive stimulation to older adults.
It launched on Nov 12 at the eldercare facility after a three-week pilot, quietly proving that sport need not be fierce or competitive to be meaningful.
Two Malaysian badminton greats, Foo Kok Keong and Ong Ewe Hock, turned up to guide the residents through simple drills: short taps, mild lifts, easy rallies.
For former players used to explosive lunges and roaring crowds, slowing the game down to meet seniors at their pace might seem unusual.
But here, their presence felt almost symbolic: a passing of the game from champions of the past to elders who once thrilled at these same names on television.
“I hope the project will be successful,” Foo said as he coaxed a group of residents into short exchanges.
“It’s good if the elderly have some sort of sport and activity. Badminton helps to keep the mind and body active.”
Ong watched with a coach’s eye as coordination improved, slowly, but unmistakably. “At the beginning they were not coordinated, but after the first 10 minutes they were better and could hit the shuttle,” he said.
“It’s a good programme to promote not just in Malaysia but worldwide.”
The global point matters. BWF did not design this as a feelgood community project alone.
Around the world, populations are ageing rapidly. Many countries are scrambling for interventions that are low-risk, low-impact, and socially engaging.
So BWF worked with Coventry University and health experts to build a programme tailored for seniors, involving drills that activate movement without stress or injury.
Badminton, it turns out, is unusually well-suited for this.
The sport’s non-contact nature means fewer accidents. The court can be downsized to fit a hall, a classroom, or in this case, the open common area of a care home.
Most importantly, the shuttle behaves like a parachute — slow, forgiving, non-threatening.
If you miss it, it drops at your feet. Seniors do not have to chase rolling balls across the floor. They simply reach, tap, and enjoy the soft reward of a connection.
“This project is about activation of seniors, not only in a healthy sense but a social one,” said BWF development director Ian Wright.
“One of the qualities of badminton is that it’s really adaptable. It brings people together in a healthy way.”
That social element is already clear. After every session during the pilot, residents became more alert and talkative, said care home representative Lynn Chiang.
A few who were previously withdrawn began engaging in conversation again. “They look forward to the activity,” she said. “Some of them even asked when the next session would be.”
To build sustainability, BWF partnered with the Malaysian Centre of Innovation in Voluntary Action under the Malaysian Social Entrepreneurs Foundation (MSEF).
Six volunteers will undergo BWF Shuttle Time teacher training this year, with plans to lead more community sessions from next year.
“Our collaboration with BWF began last year,” said MSEF president Chan Wah Kiang. “We want this to be a long-term programme, not just a one-off moment.”
Globally, badminton is stepping into a field occupied by a handful of successful senior-friendly sports: walking football in Europe, table tennis programmes for Parkinson’s patients in the US and UK, and community tai chi groups across Asia.
What sets Shuttle Time Seniors apart is its user-friendliness. The equipment is light, the space requirement small, the learning curve gentle.
And unlike walking or stretching programmes, it brings in an element of play. For many seniors, play is what they miss most.
As the session winds down, Foo and Ong pose for photos, but the residents keep holding on to their rackets, reluctant to let the moment end.
A few even kept tapping the shuttle to themselves long after the drills concluded, as if rediscovering a part of themselves they thought was long gone.
If the early signs are anything to go by, Shuttle Time Seniors has the potential to catch on across Malaysia.
In a country where badminton is more than a sport, where it is memory, identity, and shared pride, this small project may find unexpectedly deep roots.
And for the seniors in that Kajang care home, the game has already begun.