Para badminton made its Paralympic debut at Tokyo 2020, but the sport has been contested on the international level since the 1990s, with the first Para badminton world championships taking place in the Netherlands in 1998. The first governing body for Para badminton — the International Badminton Association for Disabled (IBAD) — was founded on 17 June 1995 in Stoke Mandeville, England, as the organising body for disabled badminton at the international level. In 2011 the sport was brought under the governance of the Badminton World Federation. A milestone was achieved in 2019 when the Para Badminton World Championships were held alongside the World Championships in Basel. Like its Olympic counterpart, Para badminton is a hugely popular sport, and is played in over 60 countries worldwide
28 National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) qualified players for the Paralympic Games in Tokyo, where 14 medal events were contested.
Brief overview of the rules
Just like in badminton, Para badminton players compete in singles and pairs events. The size of the court can be adapted for certain categories, such as wheelchair singles matches, where half the regular court is used. Matches follow a best-of-three format, where the first player or team to reach 21 points in two games wins the match. After scores reach 19 points, a side must be two points clear of their opponent to secure the win.
Players are divided into six classes – four standing and two wheelchair – depending on the degree of impairment.
Letter: WH (= Wheelchair) / (SL = Standing Lower) / SU (= Standing Upper) / SH (= Short stature)
Number: 1 and 2 = wheelchair users / 3 and 4 = athletes with a lower limb impairment or mild hemiplegia / 5 = arm impairment / 6 = athletes of short stature
