Para-badminton at Tokyo Paralympics: All you need to know

Jack Shephard will be aiming to win Britain's first Paralympic medal in the sport

Key information

Dates: 1-5 September

Venue: Yoyogi National Stadium

Gold medals on offer: 14

How does it work?

Para-badminton competitors are divided into six classes (two wheelchair classes and four standing classes) but for the sport's Paralympic debut, not every class will be represented in both genders.

WH1 and WH2 classes are for wheelchair users. WH1 athletes have a more severe impairment than WH2 athletes.

SL3 and 4 competitors are standing athletes with lower limb impairments while SU5 competitors are standing athletes with upper limb impairment and SH6 competitors are short-stature athletes.

Events to be contested in Tokyo are: men's singles (WH1, WH2, SL3, SL4, SU5, SH6), women's singles (WH1, WH2, SL4, SU5), men's doubles (WH1-2) women's doubles (WH1-2 & SL3-SU5) and mixed doubles (SL3-SU5).

The sport follows the rules of badminton, except for minor modifications. All events are best-of-three games and first to 21 points.

Every time there is a serve, a point is scored. The side winning a rally serves in the next point. At 20-all, the side which gains a two-point lead first wins that game. If the game is 29-all, the side scoring the 30th point wins the game.

Singles events in the two wheelchair classes and in the SL3 class use half the court, with shuttles falling between the net and a service line placed close to the net are considered out of bounds.

Who are the British medal hopes?

Jack Shephard will be aiming for success in the SU6 event. Shephard won his first world title in 2017 and retained it in 2019. He also won singles and doubles at the 2018 Europeans. Dan Bethell will be a strong challenger in the SL3 event where he is world number two.

Who are the other medal challengers?

In the women's SL4 event, Indonesia's Leani Ratri Oktila, who was named player of the year in 2019, will be a strong contender to win gold while the hopes of the home nation could lie with SH1 player Sarina Satomi. In the men's events, China's Qu Zimo is the current SH1 world champion and also has a good chance in the doubles while Korea's Kim Jungjun and Hong Kong's Chan Ho Yuen could be the ones to battle it out in the SH2 event.

Did you know?

As well as his sporting career, Britain's Krysten Coombs, who competes in the SH6 class, is also an actor and in 2014 appeared in an episode of Game of Thrones - The Purple Wedding.

ParalympicsGB Rio 2016 medals

None - 2021 is its Games debut