Derived from badminton, handibadminton is practiced by athletes with a disability who may or may not be in a wheelchair. The objective is to hit the shuttlecock in such a way that the opponent cannot put it back in bounds either by scoring the point by putting the opponent out of range of the shuttlecock or by forcing him to commit a foul. Depending on the type of disability, the areas of the field are different in order to allow practitioners to cover the playing surface.
Armchair parties
On Saturday, the Flying Aces and Guillaume Duchesne, the coach of the Trégueux badminton club, had invited Guillaume Gailly, development agent at committee 29 of the French badminton federation, for a handibad demonstration session. Adapted chairs were made available to able-bodied players to allow them to experience the situation of disabled players in real time. Specially adapted to sports, these chairs are fitted with steeply inclined wheels and have a rear wheel which prevents the chairs from tipping over during lively play phases. This did not prevent certain imbalances during fiercely contested games…!
Guillaume Gailly, a top athlete
Victim of a scooter accident, amputated of a leg, and equipped with a prosthesis, Guillaume Gailly plays standing up. He can boast an impressive track record. Member of the French Handibadminton team, he is French champion many times, silver medalist at the European championships and finished fifth in men’s doubles at the world championships. He now devotes himself to the promotion of handibadminton, with the desire to make this sport known and to demonstrate that it is possible to practice a sport, even in the event of a disability.
