The 2019 edition of the BEC Para badminton Event began on Friday morning, and there is no doubt that the participants are getting useful information when working with Para badminton in the future.

Coaches, administrators and two Ukrainian national Para badminton players are taking part in the event, which is hosted by the 2020 European Championships host, the Ukrainian Badminton Federation.

Special guests
The event's official opening on Friday morning was attended by several distinguished guests, namely:

Mr.Valerii Sushkevich, President of National Sports Committee for the Disabled of Ukraine, Prof. Evheniy Imas, Rector of National University of Physical Training and Sport, Mr. Adam Roczek, President of European University Sport Association and Mr. Oleksii Dniprov, President of the Ukrainian Badminton Federation.

Practice and assessment
On the coach course, the participants are receiving guidance in how to coach Para players (WH1&2, SL3, SL4, SU5, SH6), deaf players and players with intellectual disability before being assessed on their coaching skills on Sunday morning. When asked about how the coaching course has been these two days, Kristine Sefere, ex Latvian national player had this to say.

- I coach junior players and kids in Latvia and this is the first time I learned about coaching Para badminton players. The course is very interesting and informative, and I hope that we will be able to implement Para badminton in Latvia.

Also administration
Some of the topics for the administration course are “Integrating Para badminton” and best practices from the Ukrainian and the Portuguese badminton federations. It is the first time Anthina Chatzistyli (GRE) takes part in this course and is excited to get new information about Para badminton.

- Participating in this event is a very inspiring experience for me. Best practices and knowledge sharing will help us reach our goals which is to develop Para badminton. It is all about communication and teamwork.

The BEC Para badminton Event ends today, Sunday. Stay tuned for the post event article and photos on our social media.