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Badminton Australia’s Para-badminton Coach Ian Bridge has secured funding from Paralympics Australia’s Para-sport Equipment Fund for automatic shuttle feeders and lightweight wheelchairs, to be used as part of the national Para-badminton development program.
Having multiple automatic shuttle feeders solves a small, but often challenging, problem for Para-badminton players in hand-feeding shuttles to one another. The feeders will add quality to group training sessions, and allow coaches to focus on players’ techniques from every angle.
Athletes with an eye towards the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, and the 2021 and 2023 Badminton World Federation Para-badminton World Championships, will be prioritised.
Four lightweight wheelchairs have also been funded. One of the big challenges in beginning Para-badminton for players in wheelchairs is access to chairs that are light and dynamic enough to move around the court. The lightweight chairs are an expensive investment for a player to make, particularly early on in their career. The hope is that the purchase of these chairs will reduce the barriers to participation for new and emerging players.
Badminton Australia would like to thank Paralympics Australia for providing enough funding to secure these new items.
By Badminton Australia
Posted: 13/11/2019
Photo with thanks to Badmintonphoto
