Through back to 1st BWF Fazza Dubai Para Badminton International 2018
More than 120 para athletes from 23 countries showcased their badminton prowess over 4 days last week at the 1st Fazza Dubai Para Badminton International 2018. Hosted by the Dubai Club for People of Determination, this was the first International Para Badminton event, sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation, to be held in the Middle East. And the good news is, it will be back next year and the year after!! From the participation and the competitiveness of the matches we witnessed in its inaugural edition, things can only get better. With this tournament, following close on the heels of the recently concluded Special Olympics IX Mena Games where badminton was a big draw, the UAE, and Dubai in particular, is taking big strides towards becoming a truly “inclusive” society. Four para athletes from the UAE participated in this event, setting the stage for others to follow in their wake. With Para Badminton included for the first time in the Tokyo 2020 Para Olympics Games, we are bound to see better participation over the next couple of years as athletes look to gain crucial ranking points to help with their qualification.
Para Badminton classifies athletes into 6 categories based on the nature and degree of their disability : WH1 & WH2 (Wheelchair), SL3 & SL4 (Standing Lower Limb), SU5 (Standing Upper Limb) and SS6 (Short Stature). Classification is based on stringent pre-defined criteria and conducted by qualified and certified “classifiers”. A “National Classifiers Certification Workshop" held over 2 days on the sidelines of the tournament, sought to educate local officials on the process and details of classifying para athletes. Since the rules of Para Badminton differ based on the category, special training and familiarization is needed on the part of the technical officials and organizers to ensure compliance. To that end, the volunteer group of Technical Officials of the UAE Table Tennis and Badminton Association once again ticked all the right boxes for exceptional performance ensuring the tournament ran smoothly and without incident.
The host of the tournament, Dubai Club for People of Determination, deserves high praise for a job well done. Special mention must be made of the Emirati volunteers who assisted with the line judging for all the matches and set the bar high for future tournaments. The event received a huge boost with the finals being broadcast live on Dubai TV and uploaded to various social media platforms including Facebook and YouTube. As awareness of Para Badminton spreads throughout the UAE and the region, we look forward to continuing our march towards a more inclusive badminton community in the UAE.
Watch some of the action from UAE Badminton YouTube Channel here