This World Badminton Day, Special Olympics is highlighting and celebrating the spirit of competition and the power of partnership within the sport of badminton in the Special Olympics Latin America (SOLA) region. Special Olympics’ sport federation partner, Badminton World Federation (BWF), created and now celebrates World Badminton Day annually on 5 July to promote fun and inclusive badminton opportunities worldwide.
The expansion of badminton has, and continues to, increase the number of athletes participating in inclusive sport which provides more opportunities than just physical health benefits. Sports help Special Olympics athletes learn new skills on and off the field of play, gain access to resources for health and wellness, expand their social boundaries and make new friends along with many other respective advantages.
The partnership between BWF and Special Olympics has allowed both organisations to better understand the sport across the Special Olympics movement and work in collaboration across sport development, competitions, partnerships and communications initiatives to not only increase participation in the sport, but also improve the overall athlete experience for those training and competing in badminton.
Building on the BWF’s work to create higher quality and more global badminton for Special Olympics athletes, Gallagher has aided in not only expanding the number of athletes participating in badminton in SOLA, but also increasing the number of Unified Partners (275, +686%), participants (2,412, +107%), certified coaches (171, +159%) and overall coaches (278, +198%) in the region.
Inclusive sport is at the forefront of Special Olympics’ mission in providing people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have access to sport training competition, coaching, equipment, health information and care.
Special Olympics Chile badminton player, Francisca Belén Baldevenito Guadalupe, better known as Fran, is celebrating badminton in her hometown, Viña del Mar, sharing, “Practising badminton and physical activity helps me stay healthy. I love being able to represent my country and my school while getting to know new friends.”
Guadalupe, introduced through her school to Special Olympics badminton, recently competed in a Special Olympics Unified Schools badminton tournament in Chile. The tournament was a way for her to showcase badminton alongside fellow Special Olympics Chile badminton competitors from her area as well as a chance for her to meet new people who share in her love and joy of the sport.
To the east of Chile in Paraguay, Thanya Monserrat Gehrmann López – Special Olympics Paraguay badminton player competed in an inclusive badminton with her local badminton club, Central Bádminton Club in Asunción, where athletes with and without IDD (intellectual or developmental disability) compete in badminton together on the same team in Unified events.
Lopez, who took home a silver medal in mixed doubles badminton at the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023, shares how badminton’s growth in her Special Olympics Programme has benefited her.
“[Badminton] helped me socialise more, especially when I get asked ‘what is Badminton?’ It helps me want to improve myself every day as an athlete, and some day, become a professional player or a coach. It has also helped me become quicker in my day-to-day life. Thanks to badminton, I am motivated to know more about myself and what I can achieve, and it has even helped me learn of different cultures along the way.”
Special Olympics’ Vice President of Sport Development, Jon-Paul St. Germain, spoke on the importance of partnerships in relation to Special Olympics badminton, “One of the best ways Special Olympics can provide a quality sport experience for Special Olympics athletes is with the help of partners like Gallagher and the Badminton World Federation. We can provide Special Olympics programmes with the resources they need to develop strong coaches, deliver quality training and competitions as well as the expertise required to dive deep into the nuances and uniqueness of the sport.”
Special Olympics Latin America also has a strong partnership with Badminton Pan America, the regional confederation for badminton. Through their partnership, they have collaborated to help grow the sport for people with IDD and helped facilitate partnerships between Special Olympics programmes and national federations so that the sport and its’ programming is sustainable.
Gallagher’s funds and grants to 10 SOLA programs have turbocharged badminton’s growth, providing equipment, coach education, development workshops, and athlete training sessions. So far, six programs have received 48 uniform training kits, each packed with 20 rackets, six half-dozen training shuttles, and two nets. The coach education workshops help coaches sharpen their skills and gain certification. Meanwhile, the development workshops and athlete training sessions bring new and seasoned Special Olympics athletes into the sport, enabling them to learn and compete in badminton.
“I would love for more people to know about badminton so it can grow, and we can have more partners and opponents, it would be super fun and that way we could have a huge [badminton] family,” Lopez exclaimed in response to what she would like people to know about badminton.
World Badminton Day helps shed light on the massive growth of badminton across the Special Olympics movement, especially in the Latin America region. Special Olympics, with the help of partners BWF, Badminton Pan Am, and Gallagher, are assisting athletes like Guadalope and Lopez to continue their love of badminton through increased sport opportunities, new ways to analyse data, health information and care and other respective benefits.
The 2024 SOLA Regional Games taking place this October and the Special Olympics World Games in Santiago, Chile in 2027 will both feature badminton as one of the sports athletes can compete in.
Discover more about World Badminton Day 2024 and how you can get involved.
