To celebrate the success of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Badminton England, in partnership with local clubs and coaches, are hosting a series of Para Badminton Festivals.
The festivals provide an opportunity for all disabled people to get involved and either try a new sport or, for those who have experienced badminton previously, to get back on court.
Delivered by experienced Disability Badminton Coaches, the Para Badminton Festivals can be enjoyed by all and promise to be fun-filled days of skill-based activities and on-court games.
Para Badminton made a successful debut on the Paralympic stage this summer with Dan Bethell and Krysten Coombs making history by becoming the first British badminton players to win Paralympic medals.
Both hope the showcasing of the sport on the big stage will lead to an increase in participation at grassroots level and the upcoming festivals offer the perfect opportunity for aspiring players to begin their journeys.
After winning silver on Saturday, Bethell said: “The sport has grown so much since I first started and for the sport to be here, at a Paralympic Games for the first time, is amazing.
“I really hope it will encourage kids with disabilities to get involved in the sport as it’s such a great sport and such a great community.
“My performance and the performance of my teammates this week will hopefully inspire them to do that.”
The following day, Coombs won a brilliant bronze by coming from behind to beat Brazil’s Vitor Tavares and said: “Hopefully there’s a generation of para players in Great Britain and all over the world who can take the sport up and go for medals like me!
“It’s an awesome sport as you can see, and there’s so many opportunities with it as well.
“I’d like to think I can inspire other kids with dwarfism at home, that there is a journey and you can be successful with it!”
Coombs, along with his fellow Paralympian Jack Shephard, will be at the Sheffield Para Badminton Festival on September 19 – full information on the festivals is as follows:
- London Para Badminton Festival – September 12, Latchmere Leisure Centre, Burns Rd, London SW11 5AD. To attend please book your place here
- Wycombe Intellectual Disability Badminton Festival – September 15, Wycombe Badminton Centre, Crest Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP11 1UA. To attend please book your place here
- Cambridge Disability Festival – September 19, Trumpington Sports Centre, Lime Avenue, Cambridge, CB2 9HB. To attend please book your place here.
- Sheffield Para Badminton Festival – September 19, Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, Sheaf Street, Sheffield City Centre, Sheffield, S1 2BP. To attend please book your place here.
- West Midlands Parasport Fest – September 19. Queen Alexandra College, Birmingham, B17 9TG. For more information contact Andy Craddock: 07855391871 or email: birminghamwcb@outlook.com
If you are looking to take up Para Badminton, please get in touch via this online form.