PARA BADMINTON

Badminton is a sport for all, meaning that it is accessible to men and women of all ages and for people with a wide range of impairments.

Para badminton is now recognised as a Paralympic sport and will be inaugurated for the first time at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, which has been postponed until August 2021. The International Paralympic Comittee (IPC) recognises the Badminton World Federation (BWF) as the world governing body for Para badminton.

Badminton Oceania works with our member countries to promote and develop Para badminton in the region including delivering the Disability Module as part of our coach education programme.

In 2018, Australia was the first country in Oceania to stage a BWF sanctioned Para badminton tournament; this was followed by the Oceania Para badminton Championships which will be held every second year.

Para badminton athletes compete in men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles and mixed doubles, where they are classified into one of six different sport classes to ensure fairness in competition.

Events

In 2018, Australia was the first country in Oceania to stage a BWF sanctioned Para-badminton tournament; this was followed by the Oceania Para-badminton Championships which will be held every second year. Click on the links below to find out more information or view the results.

2020 EVENTS

VICTOR Oceania Para Badminton Championships 2020

Badminton is also part of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. To find out what classifications and what events are on the programme, click here.

2018 EVENTS

PREVIOUS RESULTS

Find out the results from the previous Para-Badminton events to take place in the region on our Past Events page.

Paralympics

Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games update

Only one tournament within the original Paralympic qualification period was cancelled due to COVID-19 – the Spanish Para Badminton International 2020.

It has now been included in the adjusted qualification system within a period from 1 January to 28 March 2021.

All ranking points earned at tournaments completed during the original Paralympic qualification period will be maintained under the Race to Tokyo Paralympic Ranking list. A date for the Spanish Para Badminton International will be announced in due process.

Read the full media statement released by the BWF here.

Classifications

Wheelchair 1 (WH 1)

Players in this class requires a wheelchair to play badminton. Players in this Sport Class usually have impairment in both lower limbs and trunk function.

Wheelchair 2 (WH 2)

A player in this class could have impairment in one or both lower limbs and minimal or no impairment of the trunk.

Standing Lower (SL 3)

In this class a player must play standing. The player could have impairment in one or both lower limbs and poor walking/running balance.

Standing Lower (SL 4)

A second standing class where the player has a lesser impairment compared to Sport Class SL 3. The player could have impairment in one or both lower limbs and minimal impairment in walking/running balance.

Standing Upper (SU 5)

The player in this class has impairment of the upper limbs.

Short Stature (SH 6)

These are players who have a short stature due to a genetic condition often referred to as “dwarfism”.

Source: Badminton World Federation

New para-badminton players who wish to be classified need to go through a Classification process. To know more about this process and which documents are needed, click here.

Regulations

The Badminton World Federation statutes outline the rules and regulations surrounding the sport.

You can find the para-badminton specific regulations in the following sections:

Section 5.5 – Para-Badminton Competition Regulations
Section 5.5.1 – International Representation Chart
Section 5.5.2 – Specifications for International Standards Para-Badminton Facilities
Section 5.5.3 – Time Lines for Para-Badminton Tournaments
Section 5.5.4 – Tournament Sanction Policy
Section 5.5.5 – Para-Badminton Classification Regulations
Section 5.5.6 – Regulations for Para-Badminton World and Continental Championships
Section 2.6 – Para-Badminton Offences and Penalties
Section 2.2.7 – BWF Classifiers Code of Conduct

World rankings

The latest world rankings for Para badminton players are available here.

Development

The role of Badminton Oceania is to assist Member Countries to develop their own in-country Para badminton programme providing opportunities for players, coaches, classifiers and technical officials.

Our development programme is closely aligned to the BWF Para badminton development structure.

In 2020, Badminton Oceania will be organising and running two para-badminton training camps. The aim of the camps is to build on the in-country programmes to further develop and prepare players and coaches for competitive play.

The first camp took place in January originally to be held in Canberra but had to be moved to Melbourne due to the Australian Bushfires. More information on the second camp will be available soon.

Coaching

For coaches working with players with disabilities, it is important to keep in mind the BWF’s inclusive philosophy of “One Sport – One Team”.

The principles in the Shuttle Time and Coach Education resources are applicable to ALL players, including those with physical or intellectual disabilities. In essence, disability coaching is good badminton coaching.

As the inclusivity statement in the Coach Education manuals explains, coaches should not be afraid to apply and adapt:

the “How to Coach” and “What to Coach” principles and practices
technical practices according to the needs and abilities of the players
questioning skills to identify the best ways to provide meaningful and appropriate practice

Badminton Oceania organises and delivers a Para badminton Coaching module; in 2019 this was held in conjunction with the second player development camp in November. To be eligible to undertake this course the coach must already hold a BWF Level 1 Coaching qualification.

For all enquires, please contact robbie@badmintonoceania.org

For more information on Para badminton, please contact ian@badmintonoceania.org