Special Olympics Badminton Thrives – Celebrating World Badminton Day

On this World Badminton Day, Special Olympics highlights and celebrates the spirit of competition and the power of partnership within the sport of badminton. Special Olympics Latin America (SOLA).Partner of the Special Olympics Sports Federation, Badminton World Federation (BWF)World Badminton Day was created and celebrated annually on July 5 to promote enjoyable and inclusive badminton opportunities around the world.

Since 2020, with the help and support of the Badminton World Federation and Gallagher—Official Partner of Special Olympics Sports Programs and Coach Training—The number of Special Olympics badminton programs in Latin America has doubled from 5 to 10 between 2020 and 2023.

Expansion Badminton The number of athletes participating in inclusive sports has increased and continues to increase, providing opportunities beyond just physical health benefits. Sports help Special Olympics athletes learn new skills on and off the field, gain access to health and wellness resources, expand their social boundaries and make new friends, and many other benefits.

The partnership between the Badminton World Federation and Special Olympics has allowed the two organizations to better understand sport across the Special Olympics movement and work collaboratively to develop sport, competitions, partnerships and communications initiatives to not only increase participation in the sport, but also to improve the overall experience for those players who train and compete in badminton.

Building on the BWF’s work to create a high-quality, more universal badminton sport for Special Olympics athletes, Gallagher has helped expand not only the number of athletes participating in SOLA badminton, but also the number of Unified Partners (275, +686%), Participants (2,412, +107%), Certified Coaches (171, +159%) and Inclusive Coaches (278, +198%) in the region.

Inclusive sport is at the forefront of Special Olympics’ mission to provide access to sports training, competition, coaching, equipment, health information and care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Special Olympics Chile Badminton player Francisca Belén Baldivinito Guadalupe, known as Fran, celebrates a game of badminton in her hometown of Viña del Mar. “Playing badminton and doing physical activities helps me stay healthy. At the Special Olympics, I love being able to represent my country and my school while also making new friends,” she says.

Fran, who was introduced to badminton through her school, recently participated in a Special Olympics Unified Badminton event at the Parque Estadio Nacional. The event was a way for her to showcase her talents on the court alongside fellow Special Olympics Chile badminton competitors from her region, as well as a way for her to meet new people who share her love and enjoyment of the sport.

East of Chile in Paraguay, Tania Monserrat German Lopez, a Paraguayan Special Olympics badminton player, competes in inclusive badminton with her local badminton club, the Central Badminton Club of Asuncion, where athletes with and without intellectual disabilities compete in badminton together on the same team. unified Events.

Tanya, who won a silver medal in the mixed doubles badminton event at the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin in 2023, shares how playing and competing in the sport has helped her.

Special Olympics Vice President of Sport Development, Jean-Paul St. Germain, spoke about the importance of partnerships when it comes to badminton at Special Olympics, saying: “One of the best ways Special Olympics can provide a high-quality sporting experience for Special Olympics athletes is through the help of partners like Gallagher and the Badminton World Federation. We are able to provide Special Olympics programs with the resources they need to develop strong coaches, deliver high-quality training and competitions, and the expertise to delve into the nuances and uniqueness of the sport.”

Special Olympics Latin America also has a strong partnership with Badminton Pan America, the regional badminton federation. Through their partnership, they have collaborated to help grow the sport for people with intellectual disabilities, and have helped facilitate partnerships between Special Olympics programs and national badminton federations so that the sport and its programs are sustainable.

Photography by Nevin Baker

Gallagher’s grants and funds have been directed to ten SOLA programs for equipment, coach education, developmental workshops, and athlete training sessions. To date, 48 standardized training kits have been provided to six programs, each containing 20 rackets, six half-dozen shuttles, and two nets. The coach education workshops target areas for coaches to develop and refine their knowledge and skills to help them become certified coaches. The developmental workshops and athlete training help bring new and existing Special Olympics athletes into the sport so they can learn and compete in badminton.

“I would like more people to know about badminton so that it can grow, we can have more partners and competitors, it would be so much fun and that way we can have a huge (badminton) family!” Thanya said in response to what she would like people to know about the overall sport of badminton.

This World Badminton Day helps highlight the tremendous growth of badminton across the Special Olympics movement, especially in Latin America. Special Olympics, with the help of its partners BWF, Badminton Pan Am and Gallagher, is helping athletes like Fran and Thanya continue their love of badminton through increased sporting opportunities, new ways to analyze data, health information and sponsorship, and other related benefits.

The 2024 SOLA Regional Games in October this year and the 2027 Special Olympics World Games in Santiago, Chile will feature badminton as one of the sports in which athletes can compete.

Badminton in SOLA development