The weeks leading up to the 2025 season witnessed the rollout of a special initiative aimed at integration, with a course and workshop for Para badminton players (active or retired) involving coaching and officiating.
The Coach Education Level 1 course and the Technical Officials Pathway & Line Judge Workshop, held 9-12 December 2024 during the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals, are game-changers for the Para badminton fraternity as they provide possible career paths, while helping them integrate with the able-bodied badminton community.
The participants, whose applications had to be endorsed and submitted by their respective national association or National Paralympic Committee, were given a travel grant, five nights’ accommodation and lunch during the course.
Batri Narayanan Ramasamy
Paralympic medallist Chan Ho Yuen Daniel of Hong Kong China was among the 10 participants for the Coach Education course, while Paralympian Ritah Asiimwe of Uganda and Batri Narayanan Ramasamy of India were the two participants for the TO Pathway & Line Judge Workshop.
The CE course involved introduction to coaching principles and techniques, practical sessions and assessment and certification. A special feature of the Line Judge workshop was that the two participants got to officiate at the season finale, after introduction and training.
For Asiimwe, an SU5 player who had given birth to a baby boy in August, it was her first time officiating internationally, and she said she was inspired by the experience. Asiimwe served as line judge for 10 matches over two days.
“At first, I was nervous – seven out of 10. But after a few matches, I felt more like a nine. I’m confident now,” the Ugandan, who participated in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, said. “The level here is so different from Para badminton. It’s all about speed, calculation, and sharp focus.”
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