Over 170 athletes compete in intl para badminton tournament

A total of 171 athletes from 29 countries and regions have gathered in Beijing this week for China Para Badminton International 2026, offering an international platform for competition and preparation ahead of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games in October.

The tournament, held from Aug 29 to Sept 6 at the China Administration of Sports for Persons with Disabilities, features 22 medal events, namely six men's singles, four men's doubles, six women's singles, three women's doubles and three mixed doubles events.

In addition to the athletes, 65 team officials and support staff members are participating.

Organizers said the tournament is intended to promote exchanges among athletes and teams from different countries and regions while giving China's para badminton players a chance to compete at a high level in their home country.

China has entered 34 athletes in the tournament. The team is using the competition to assess the results of its recent training and fine-tune preparations for the upcoming 2026 Asian Para Games in Nagoya, Japan.

Para badminton made its Paralympic debut as a medal sport at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021. Since then, it has emerged as one of China's strongest Paralympic sports, according to the administration.

Chinese players won five gold medals at the Tokyo Games and increased their haul to nine golds at the Paris Paralympics in 2024.