IBAD World Badminton Championships

IBAD World Badminton Championships
(Bangkok, Thailand Nov 2007)

More than 190 disabled badminton players from 20 countries congregated in Bangkok, to compete in the IBAD World Badminton Championships in Thailand.

The England team of eva Singh Dhesi , Antony Forster and Scott Richardson pitted themselves against players from all over the world, in their respective categories, under the guidance of team manager John Forster.  Players are classified in either wheelchair; standing above waist; or standing below waist categories.  Within each, are sub-categories that are played either on half or full-court coverage, depending upon mobility.
The standard of play throughout the 6-day tournament was incredibly high, particularly in the lesser-disabled categories, where some players train with their National able-bodied squad!

Despite their best efforts, amputees Meva (AK) and Scott (BK) were unable to progress into the knock-out stages, following defeats by Malaysia, Chinese TaiPei & South Korea.  
However, Anthony (Cerebral Palsy) was able to go one stage further, before succumbing to another Malaysian player.  
Despite their disappointment not to progress further, all three players thoroughly enjoyed their experience and were particularly proud to represent their country.

Some excellent friendships were made and the team is already looking forward to the European Championships in Germany in May 2008.
Disabled badminton continues to grow globally, with considerable efforts being made by IBAD to gain Paralympic status.  There are significant opportunities to play all over the world, with forthcoming events in Germany, Spain, South Korea, India and Russia as well as in Great Britain.
England would welcome additional and new players to strengthen the team.  If you are interested in becoming involved with disabled badminton, email scott_racer@hotmail.com or visit:-

www.badmintonengland.co.uk
www.rolli-badminton.de