Para Badminton is the sport of badminton played by disabled athletes. Badminton is an indoor racket sport, involving hitting a feathered shuttlecock over a high net. The rules and competition play are essentially the same for para-badminton and badminton.
There are adaptations and modified rules to account for some disabilities. As in badminton, athletes compete in men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.
The Badminton World Federation organizes the Para-Badminton World Championships every two years. There are competition events in six different classes: two wheelchair classes, two standing classes for lower limb impairment, one standing class for upper limb impairment, and one class for short stature athletes.
Sitting badminton is another version of badminton for disabled athletes, though it is not a sport at the World Championships or Paralympics.
Para Badminton was included in the Paralympic program for the first time in Tokyo 2021.
Similar Sports
- Badminton — an indoor game with rackets in which a shuttlecock is hit back and forth across a net.
- Sitting Volleyball — a version of volleyball for disabled athletes played while sitting (also known as Paralympic volleyball).
- Ball Badminton — an outdoor team sport played using a yellow ball made of wool. Popular in India.
- Crossminton — a variation of badminton played with no net suitable for playing outdoors.
- Air Badminton — an outdoor version of badminton using a heavier shuttle that flies better in the wind.
- Tennikoit — played with a rubber ring, in which the objective is to catch and throw a ring back onto the opponent's half of the court.
- Seatball — a sport like sitting volleyball for disabled and non-disabled athletes, played on a larger court and allowing for the ball to bounce once between touches (also called Sitzball or Sitball).
Related Pages
- Sports for the Disabled
- About Paralympic Sports
- About Para Badminton at the Paralympics (since 2021)
- List of Racket Sports
- Complete list of sports
- The Encyclopedia of Sports