With the imminent finals day tomorrow, tension and excitement was high on Day 2 of the VICTOR Oceania Para Badminton Championships. The last of the preliminary round-robins were played throughout the day along with quarter- and semi-final matches throughout the afternoon and evening. In the group stages, there were tight matches in the Mixed Doubles…
Day 1 of the VICTOR Oceania Para Badminton Championships 2022 has proven to be one of the most exciting days in the history of the event, with new players competing against seasoned athletes across 5 classifications. Also on court today were two recipients of the Badminton World Federation Female Participation Grant 2022: Dorna LONGBUT (PNG) and…
Growing up and living in Papua New Guinea, Dorna Longbut discovered badminton a few months ago, ahead of her debut at the VICTOR Oceana Para Badminton Championships 2022. “Back in the country, badminton is not a really popular sport apart from Rugby league,” Dorna shares after her practice session yesterday. Before her badminton journey, Dorna…
The VICTOR Oceania Para Badminton Championships returns this week, with the largest number of entries ever received for the event. A growth in overall para badminton participation over the last few years plus returning competitors makeup the history-making occasion, including WH 1 competitor Marinda Jones from Napier New Zealand. “I’ve been over to Australia… when…
Dorna Longbut (pictured second from left) prepares to make her Para badminton debut In 2020, four players made history as they became the first players to represent Papua New Guinea at an international badminton tournament – the VICTOR Oceania Para Badminton Championships in Ballarat, Australia. Jerome Bunge, David Joe Kaniku, Danny Ten and Nelly Leva…
Earlier this year, a contingent of Australian Para badminton players travelled to compete in the 4th Fazza Dubai Para Badminton International 2022. It was their first match back on the international stage since the COVID-19 pandemic began, with the exception of Grant Manzoney and Caitlin Dransfield who had qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games…
When Carrie Wilson walked into Ballarat Badminton Stadium in February 2020 to compete in her first Continental Championships, little did she know that she would be leaving with a gold medal. The New Zealander benefitted from the Female Para Player Participation Grant to assist her competition and quickly rose to the occasion. She topped her…
Selina Seau made her international debut at the VICTOR Oceania Para Badminton Championships 2020, where she was Fiji’s sole representative. She will be flying the flag solo once again as she returns to the Continental Championships later this month. There was little opportunity for her to compete in between the two tournaments following the COVID-19…
The VICTOR Oceania Para Badminton Championships 2022 is coming to Melbourne Sports and Aquatics Centre from 29-31 July 2022. It will be the first Continental Championships for Para badminton since the 2020 tournament in Ballarat and only the third edition overall, after the inaugural tournament took place in 2018, hosted by Geelong, Australia. This year,…
Pictured: Bree Malberg, Australia. Bree Mellberg refused to accept the life her doctors outlined for her after an accident in 2013 put her in a wheelchair. “A mediocre life is not for me,” said the 32-year-old recipient of the BWF Female Participation Grant 2022, which supports a new athlete’s participation needs, including classification. An active child,…