Paralympics 2024 Badminton: Know all about the different types of para-badminton being played at Paris
Badminton is a sport which requires immense physical fitness and mental steadiness. The same is needed for para badminton. Even though this sport is for the specially abled, it is not to be considered easy at all. There are various classifications of the sport and that too, keeping in mind the ablities of the para athletes.
Para badminton was introduced very late in the Tokyo Paralympics, but the sport has been around since the 1990s, with the first Para Badminton World Championships taking place in 1998.
Although Pramod Bhagat, the gold medalist from the Tokyo Games has been suspended by the Badminton World Federation, India still has a decent squad for the para badminton event at the Paris Paralympics 2024. Manoj Sarkar and Nitesh Kumar will be representing the tricolor at Paris, come August 28.
Notably, both of them will participate in the SL3 category. But what exactly is SL3? What is its full form? Today, we will clarify those doubts, not only for this particular category, rather for all those which are part of the Paralympics.
What are the different categories?
Well, the athletes are divided into six classes. Among these six, four are standing and two are wheelchair. There are certain impairments which are considered eligible for the sport. They are - orthopaedic impairment, celebral palsy, degenerative neurological disorders, neurological disabilities, paraplegia, quadriplegia, hemiplegia. Now let's discuss about the classification of categories.
SL3 is the category the Indian para shuttlers will participate in. As you can see in the term, there are two letters and one number. This will now help in understanding.
There are four letter groups - SL (Standing Lower), WH (Wheelchair), SU (Standing Upper), SH (Short Stature).
Similarly there are numbers which help in distinction of the athletes. 1 and 2 is for wheelchair users, 3 and 4 for those with lower limb impairment or mild hemiplegia, 5 is for arm impairment and 6 is for athletes of short stature.
One notable thing is, for para badminton, specially for the wheelchair category (singles), the court size is reduced, mainly to half of the regular size.