The third Victor Asian Para-Badminton Championships has attracted a strong field – with 12 nations competing for honours in five categories.
The tournament, held every two years, has been taking place this week in Gyeonggi-do, Korea, with 102 players entered across the various classes –
Wheelchair 1 and 2, Standing Lower Class 1 and 2 and Standing Upper Class.
Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam have all sent representatives; with Japan boasting the largest delegation of 21 players while hosts, Korea, has a strong team of 20 players. In addition, more than 40 registered coaches, managers and physios are also attending the games.
Badminton is not yet a Paralympic sport however the BWF is working hard to make this a reality in 2020. Events such as the Continental Championships, World Championships and international competitions are central to building the competition pathways and to building the talent base at an elite level towards the goal of Paralympic Games inclusion.
Like all Para-Badminton events, this competition venue has a fantastic atmosphere, with many players meeting up with old friends and rivals. However, the “Para-Badminton Family” atmosphere ends when competitors meets on court and start the battle for medals.
A total of 52 players were classified before the competition started which is the result of new Classification Regulations being implemented and new players entering the system.
“We are pleased to see some new faces at this competition and some young and emerging talent coming into the sport,” said Chief Classifier Dr Shamsul Shah.
“Para-Badminton is growing in the region and we need to ensure the sport has a strong player base and (that there are) national and international competitions for players at all levels.”
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