Badminton has soared in popularity in the Cook Islands over the last two years. Particularly as the non-contact sport identified opportunities to capitalise on the COVID-19 lockdowns and guidelines that restricted the country’s prevalent contact sports (rugby and soccer) in early 2020. Shuttle Time (a grassroots badminton initiative) and player development remain at the core…
Pictured (left to right): Dheva Anrimusthi, Cheah Lieh Hou and Suryo Nugroho. Photo Credit: Parabadmintonphoto/BWF Cheah Liek Hou of Malaysia has the distinction of being the first-ever Para badminton gold medallist at the Paralympic Games after a clinical performance in the men’s singles SU5 final against Indonesia’s Dheva Anrimusthi in Tokyo on Saturday. Cheah Liek…
Pictured: Grant Manzoney, Australia. Photo credit = Craig Burgess, Badminton Photo It wasn’t the start that Australia wanted in their first appearance in Para-Badminton at the Paralympic Games, but Grant Manzoney and Caitlin Dransfield will take the experience and look to improve on Friday after losing their opening matches. Dransfield’s first match in the SL4…
Pictured (left to right): Ian Bridge, Grant Manzoney and Caitlin Dransfield. Photo credit: Paralympics Australia It’s the speed of the game that got Grant Manzoney and Caitlin Dransfield hooked. The raw pace of the world’s fastest racquet sport. And once they were hooked, their Paralympic dream began. This is the first time Para-Badminton will appear…
Pictured: Karen Arnold, line judging at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Australian line judge, Karen Arnold, has arrived in Tokyo, ready to officiate in the Para badminton tournament which starts tomorrow. Despite having over a year and a half away from international competitions, Karen has been preparing for the sport’s biggest stage by reviewing…
Pictured: Justin Zuo, New Zealand, umpiring at the Singapore Open 2017. Photo Credit: Badminton Photo “I am so glad that this Paralympic Games will be my retirement appointment. It’s not only a memorable event for me, but also an honorable recognition from Badminton Oceania” Reflective and grateful words from the Oceania Certificated Umpire, Justin Zuo,…
The much-awaited draw for the 14 events at Para badminton’s debut at the Paralympics was conducted today at the Main Press Centre in Tokyo today. Australia’s Caitlin Dransfield and Grant Manzoney were among the players to be pulled out of the boxes in their respective disciplines: Caitlin Dransfield – Women’s Singles SL4 Grant Manzoney -…
Pictured: Ravi Nadan, holding the Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch at the Samoa 2019 Pacific Games Players were not the only group to celebrate the announcement of Para badminton being added to the Paralympic programme at the Tokyo 2020 Games. It boosts the fantastic opportunities available for technical officials too, with a chance to demonstrate their…
Nellie Ruth Leva is an inspirational leader and athlete in Papua New Guinea’s sporting circles. In 2020, she was part of the quadrant which competed in the VICTOR Oceania Para Badminton Championships, becoming PNG’s first athletes to compete in an international badminton tournament. Among them, they collected four medals and continued to inspire a legacy…
On Wednesday 18 August 2021, the BWF made a live draw for the TotalEnergies BWF Thomas & Uber Cup Finals 2021, which will take place from 9 -17 October 2021. In the Uber Cup draw, both qualifiers from Oceania and Africa (Tahiti and Egypt) were drawn into the same group. Meanwhile, in the Thomas Cup…