By James Crook

parabadmintonMarch 9 - The Pan-American Para-Badminton Championships will take place in Ciudad de Guatemala from March 14 until 16, with the hosts hoping to raise the profile of the sport with the event and support its inclusion in the 2020 Paralympic Games.


American nations such as Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Peru, Venezuela and the host nation Guatemala have collaborated in attempts to move the sport forward and improve the standards of play and facilities to push for the sport to be included in the 2020 Paralympic Games programme.

Accommodation facilities will be based at Domo Hall in the city, as well as classification procedures and administration.

Para-badminton made an attempt to be elected to the Paralympic Games sports programme for Rio 2016, but lost out to canoeing and triathlon.

A Badminton World Federation (BWF) statement from September last year confirmed that they were hoping for the sport's inclusion in the 2020 Olympics, which will be held in either Istanbul, Tokyo or Madrid.

"It's clear that badminton must be a part of future Paralympic celebrations of sport." read the statement.

"Para-badminton would be a positive addition to the sports programme for the 2020 edition of the Paralympic Games.

"In its 2009/2010 bid for inclusion in Rio 2016, the BWF learned that it needed to do more for Para-dadminton and to position the sport well for inclusion."

The BWF have integrated the sport into their governance and management structure, and have been recognised by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) as part of this commitment.

With bids also expected from sports such as golf, taekwondo and powerchair football, the competition for spots will be immense, though it is not yet known how many sports will be added to the programme.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is expected to distribute information for sports wishing to apply for inclusion in the programme in late 2013, with a decision on which sports are to be included expected in 2014.

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