Date: 2021-04-23

Kwara State Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, SWAN, has described the death of the state badminton coach, Bello Oyebanji, as unfortunate and a huge loss to the African continent.

A condolence statement by the state secretary of SWAN, Olayinka Owolewa, in Ilorin on Thursday, said the late coach was returning from Lagos where he had gone for an interview at the Spanish embassy seeking visa for the last round of the qualifier for Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

According to the statement, Bello, who is the African representative on the board of the World para-Badminton Federation, was scheduled to travel to Spain on May 6, 2021, for the final round of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics qualifier.

He qualified for both the 2020 Brazil and Spanish international para-badminton championships, but was hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic as both countries cancelled the tournaments.

Bello, who was the state badminton coach, also coached the state para-badminton.

He died in a fatal auto crash on Ogbomoso-Oyo highway in Oyo state on Wednesday night while returning from Lagos.

The late coach was ranked 20th in the world.

Bello, was buried at the Muslim public cemetery in Irewolede area of Ilorin, in the state capital.

He was survived by his pregnant wife and aged mother.