Para Badminton

This sport is governed by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and will make its first Paralympic appearance at Tokyo 2020.

As in badminton, para-badminton athletes compete in men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles and mixed doubles.

Athletes are classified into “Sport Classes” to ensure fairness in competition. In para-badminton there are six Sport Classes depending on the type and severity of impairment.

Wheelchair 1 WH 1
Players in this class requires a wheelchair to play badminton. Players in this Sport Class usually have impairment in both lower limbs and trunk function.

Wheelchair 2 WH 2
A player in this class could have impairment in one or both lower limbs and minimal or no impairment of the trunk.

Standing Lower SL 3
In this class a player must play standing. The player could have impairment in one or both lower limbs and poor walking/running balance.

Standing Lower SL 4
A second standing class where the player has a lesser impairment compared to Sport Class SL 3. The player could have impairment in one or both lower limbs and minimal impairment in walking/running balance.

Standing Upper SU 5
The player in this class has impairment of the upper limbs.

Short Stature SS 6
These are players who have a short stature due to a genetic condition often referred to as “dwarfism”.