Dubai: The stage is set for the return of international Para Badminton competition as Dubai hosts the Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum 3rd Dubai Para Badminton International 2021 at the Shahab Al Ahli Club from March 30 to 4, 2021.
This will be the first BWF Para Badminton tournament after more than a year because of the Covid-19 Pandemic; the last international meet was held in Peru in February 2020.
As many as 127 players from 29 countries including hosts United Arab Emirates have confirmed their participation at the championship, which will have several world champions and world no. 1s. The Fazza-Dubai 2021 event will also offer points for BWF Para Badminton World Championship which is set to take place in October 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.
Athletes have expressed their excitement to compete after such a long gap with Indonesia’s world champion Leani Ratri Oktila, who has several medals at the Fazza Para Badminton International in the past, hoping that this will lift up the spirit until Tokyo 2020.
“I am very happy that finally I can compete again, hopefully it can be a spirit to go to Tokyo,” said the 29-year-old.
Meanwhile, India’s Sukant Kadam said he missed competing in international competition during the lockdown.
“I am so excited to play the Dubai international after all this Covid situation. Definitely many things will change during the tournament but still I am excited to perform under all situations,” said the world no. 5 SL3 player.
For Dubai, this will be the third Para international competition after successful hosting of Fazza Para Athletics and Fazza Para Archery tournaments.
Much like the Para Athletics and Para Archery championships, all precautionary and safety measures are being placed for the competition with mandatory PCR tests also conducted frequently for the recruited staff and arriving teams.