Chair of BWF’s Para-Badminton Athletes’ Commission Richard Perot has hailed the sport’s historic inclusion in the 2020 Paralympic Games as a “great achievement” – but at the same time a “great responsibility”.
“The lives of so many people are going to change. The dream of so many players around the world has come true!” he declared.
“Para-badminton is now part of the Paralympic family. This is a great achievement for para-badminton and for everyone who has been involved in its development.”
Thanking the sport’s international federation – the Badminton World Federation – and the “amazing people” with whom he and the Commission have worked, Perot admitted the IPC decision made him and para-badminton peers quite emotional and triggered a flurry of calls, emails, text messages and other celebratory reactions.
“Look at what we have done working with BWF in the past year and imagine what para-badminton players will experience on their way to Tokyo. That’s what the Paralympics is all about. It’s a dream we athletes have had for a long time and it seemed unreachable but Tokyo 2020 is here now!
“As the athletes’ representative I try to help the best way I can and I know this is a big responsibility,” acknowledged the Frenchman.
Perot heads the four-person BWF Para-Badminton Athletes’ Commission which was elected last November in Dortmund, Germany. It is the voice for para-badminton athletes within the BWF, similar to the BWF Athletes’ Commission which services the needs of badminton players. The other Commission members are: Antony Forster (England); Martin Rooke (England); and Yau Tiam Ann (Malaysia). One of the Commission’s roles is to canvas players’ views and feed them back to the Para-Badminton Commission – the main technical body in para-badminton which looks at all technical aspects of para-badminton and makes recommendations to the BWF Council.
![](http://cms.bwfbadminton.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/file-aspx-id-519028.jpg)
On Tuesday, the International Paralympic Committee’s Governing Board listed badminton among the first 16 sports for inclusion in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games sports programme, thus ensuring a debut for para-badminton competitors at the highest level of para-sports. In their announcement, IPC President Sir Philip Craven said “our aim is to ensure the final Tokyo 2020 Paralympic sports programme is fresh and features the best para-sports possible” and congratulated the Badminton World Federation which “submitted a very strong application”.
The full list of sports approved by the IPC is as follows: athletics, archery, badminton, boccia, equestrian, goalball, powerlifting, rowing, shooting, sitting volleyball, swimming, table tennis, triathlon, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis.
*****
CAPTION:
The BWF Para-Badminton Athletes’ Commission: Yau Tiam Ann (Malaysia – back row, left); Antony Forster (England – back row, right); Martin Rooke (England – front row, left) and Richard Perot (France – front row, right).