U.S.A. BADMINTON: BADMINTON AN OFFICIAL SPORT AT CALIFORNIA COLLEGES

**This NEW SHUTTLENWS report is presented by YANG YANG BADMINTON PRODUCTS and their Southern U.S.A. agents, SPORTSNET INTERNATIONAL (Email:jumpsmash@aol .com/Tel:713-771-8905/Fax:713-771-4446)**

July 21, 1997 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - The community colleges in the state of California have designated women's badminton an official sport, according to Paul Lanning, the associate commissioner of the Community College League of California. The designation which was approved earlier this year means that many of the 102 community colleges in California will be organizing and setting up women's badminton teams to compete against each other.

According to Mr. Lanning, colleges throughout California are now planning for the addition of the sport in the 1998-1999 school year. Intercollegiate conference competition as well as a state-wide yearly championship is expected to debut in the spring of 1999, with about 60 colleges fielding teams by the second season of play in the year 2000.

The designation of women's badminton as a community college sport allows those 7,000-plus high school students who now compete in California's high school badminton circuit to continue to play the sport on the collegiate level.

For the sport in general, badminton-playing facilities may become available at many more of the 102 California community colleges.

(More information is available from Mr. Lanning at (916)-444-1600 or at pl_coa@ix.netcom.com.)

(migrossman)