Nottingham Blazers Wheelchair Badminton Club

German International 2011 - ParaBadminton

Nottingham Blazers Wheelchair Badminton Club member Owen Kilburn (pictured 2nd left) has his first taste of International ParaBadminton representing England in Dortmund.

The 10th German International Para-badminton Championships was completed in Dortmund on Sunday, 5 June, 2011, with a record number of players and countries competing in the biennial championships.

The event, which has been a regular part of the international para-badminton calendar since 1996, offers both standing and wheelchair categories as well as events for dwarves.

A total of 120 players competed in this championships with many of the standing and wheelchair classes available had participants competing in them. The men’s singles discipline, in particular, saw participants competing in 9 out of a maximum of 12 classes.

Not only is the championships growing in numbers, participation in the championships has also become increasingly diverse. The first three years of the championships saw participants from only three countries - Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

The 2011 edition however saw the maiden participation of players from South America, Asia, Oceania and Europe, with Brazil, Macau and Vietnam.

They joined the usual crop of participants from Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Norway, the Netherlands, Russia, Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, Turkey, Israel, Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam, Brazil, Guatemala and Australia.