Badminton at the Summer Paralympics facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Badminton at the Summer Paralympics |
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| Governing body | Badminton World Federation |
| Events | 14 (men: 7; women: 6; mixed: 1) |
| Games | |
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Para-Badminton is an exciting version of badminton for athletes with different physical disabilities. It's a sport where players use rackets to hit a shuttlecock over a net, just like regular badminton.
This amazing sport made its first appearance at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has been in charge of Para-Badminton since 2011, helping to organize competitions and set the rules for athletes around the world.
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Para-Badminton at the Paralympics
Para-Badminton is a relatively new sport at the Paralympics, but it's quickly becoming a favorite! Here's a quick look at its journey so far:
| Games | Year | Events | Top Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16th | 2020 | 14 |  China (1st) |
| 17th | 2024 | 16 | China (2nd) |
This table shows when Para-Badminton was played at the Paralympics, how many different medal events there were, and which country won the most medals that year.
How Para-Badminton Started
Para-Badminton first joined the Paralympic Games at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo. At its debut, there were 14 different events where athletes could compete for medals.
Types of Events
Para-Badminton has different categories to make sure competition is fair for all athletes. These categories are based on an athlete's physical abilities. Athletes compete in singles (one player against another), doubles (two players against two players), and mixed doubles (a male and female player against another male and female pair).
Here are the main types of events that have been part of the Paralympic program:
| Current Program | |||
| Event Category | 2020 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men's Events | Singles WH1 (Wheelchair 1) | X | X |
| Singles WH2 (Wheelchair 2) | X | X | |
| Singles SL3 (Standing/Lower Limb Impairment 3) | X | X | |
| Singles SL4 (Standing/Lower Limb Impairment 4) | X | X | |
| Singles SU5 (Standing/Upper Limb Impairment 5) | X | X | |
| Singles SH6 (Short Stature 6) | X | X | |
| Doubles WH1–WH2 (Wheelchair Doubles) | X | X | |
| Women's Events | Singles WH1 | X | X |
| Singles WH2 | X | X | |
| Singles SL3 | X | ||
| Singles SL4 | X | X | |
| Singles SU5 | X | X | |
| Singles SH6 | X | ||
| Doubles WH1–WH2 | X | X | |
| Doubles SL3–SU5 | X | ||
| Mixed Events | Doubles SL3–SU5 | X | X |
| Doubles SH6 | X | ||
| Total Events | 14 | 16 | |
Paralympic Medals in Para-Badminton
Countries compete to win gold, silver, and bronze medals in Para-Badminton. Here's a summary of the medals won by different nations across all Para-Badminton events at the Paralympics:
| Rank | NPC | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China (CHN) |
14 | 5 | 3 | 22 |
| 2 |  Japan (JPN) |
5 | 2 | 6 | 13 |
| 3 |  Indonesia (INA) |
3 | 6 | 5 | 14 |
| 4 |  India (IND) |
3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| 5 |  France (FRA) |
3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 6 |  Malaysia (MAS) |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 |  South Korea (KOR) |
0 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| 8 |  Great Britain (GBR) |
0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 9 |  Thailand (THA) |
0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 10 |  Hong Kong (HKG) |
0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 11 |  United States (USA) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 |  Brazil (BRA) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Germany (GER) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Nigeria (NGR) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Norway (NOR) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Switzerland (SUI) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (16 entries) | 30 | 30 | 30 | 90 | |
Top Performing Countries
Some countries have been very successful in winning gold medals in Para-Badminton. The numbers below show how many gold medals each country has won in the Para-Badminton events at the Paralympics. The bolded numbers show the country that won the most gold medals overall in Para-Badminton for that year.
| Rank | Country | 2020 | 2024 | Total Gold Medals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China |
5 | 9 | 14 |
| 2 | Japan |
3 | 2 | 5 |
| 3 | France |
1 | 2 | 3 |
| India |
2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Indonesia |
2 | 1 | 3 | |
| 6 | Malaysia |
1 | 1 | 2 |
| Total | 14 | 16 | 30 | |
How Para-Badminton is Played
Para-Badminton matches are super exciting! They usually have a group stage first, where players compete against everyone in their group. After that, it moves to a single-elimination tournament, which means if you lose, you're out!
Each match is played as the best of three games. To win a game, a player or team needs to score 21 points. You don't have to be serving to score a point – this is called "rally scoring." If the score gets tied at 20-20, a player needs to win by two points. However, if the game goes on for a long time, the first player to reach 30 points wins the game, even if they don't have a two-point lead.
Countries that Play Para-Badminton
Many countries from all over the world send their amazing athletes to compete in Para-Badminton at the Paralympics. The table below shows which nations have participated and how many athletes they sent each year.
| Nation | 2020 | 2024 | Total Years Participated |
|---|---|---|---|
 Australia |
2 | 2 | 2 |
 Austria |
– | 1 | 1 |
 Belgium |
– | 2 | 1 |
| Brazil |
1 | 3 | 2 |
 Canada |
1 | 1 | 2 |
 Chile |
– | 1 | 1 |
| China |
9 | 13 | 2 |
 Chinese Taipei |
1 | 4 | 2 |
 Denmark |
1 | 1 | 2 |
 Egypt |
1 | – | 1 |
| France |
6 | 8 | 2 |
| Germany |
6 | 3 | 2 |
| Great Britain |
4 | 4 | 2 |
| Hong Kong |
2 | 2 | 2 |
| India |
7 | 13 | 2 |
| Indonesia |
7 | 9 | 2 |
 Israel |
1 | 2 | 2 |
 Italy |
– | 1 | 1 |
| Japan |
13 | 12 | 2 |
| Malaysia |
2 | 5 | 2 |
 Netherlands |
1 | – | 1 |
 New Zealand |
– | 1 | 1 |
| Nigeria |
– | 2 | 1 |
| Norway |
1 | 1 | 2 |
 Peru |
1 | 3 | 2 |
 Poland |
1 | 2 | 2 |
 Portugal |
1 | 1 | 2 |
 RPC |
1 | – | 1 |
| South Korea |
7 | 7 | 2 |
| Switzerland |
2 | 3 | 2 |
| Thailand |
7 | 8 | 2 |
 Turkey |
2 | 2 | 2 |
 Uganda |
1 | – | 1 |
 Ukraine |
1 | 1 | 2 |
| United States |
– | 2 | 1 |
| Total Nations | 28 | 31 | 35 |
| Years | 2020 | 2024 | 2 |
See also
In Spanish: Bádminton en los Juegos Paralímpicos para niños
- Badminton at the Summer Olympics
- Badminton at the 2020 Summer Paralympics
