Hwaseong Special City hosted the inaugural Hwaseong Special City Mayor’s Cup National Badminton Tournament for Persons with Disabilities on the 24th at the Hwaseong Indoor Badminton Center, bringing together roughly 350 athletes and officials from across the country, two regional reports showed.
Hwaseong City Organizes Badminton Competition for Persons with Disabilities
Organized by the Hwaseong City Sports Association for Persons with Disabilities and managed by the Hwaseong City Badminton Association for Persons with Disabilities, the competition aimed to expand the base for recreational sports among individuals with disabilities and foster communication between athletes and enthusiasts, according to San Kyung Il Bo. The opening ceremony featured sports merit awards, an official declaration of the opening, and an athlete oath.
Tournament Features Diverse Functional Classifications and Inclusive Play
Competitions were divided across a range of functional classifications and disability types, featuring wheelchair matches, physical disability integrated classes, hearing impairment integrated classes, and intellectual disability classes A and B, breaknews.com reported. According to event details reported by San Kyung Il Bo, the wheelchair division was structured as a four-person team event, while the physical disability integrated and intellectual disability B divisions were contested as doubles matches.
The tournament also featured inclusive mixed doubles categories in the hearing-impaired integrated and intellectual disability A divisions. In these brackets, athletes with and without disabilities partnered together on the court, a design intended to emphasize social unity through sports.
Mayor Jeong Myeong-Geun Emphasizes Social Value of Recreational Athletics
Chae Min-woo, Director of the Education and Sports Bureau of Hwaseong Special City, attended the opening day proceedings and read a prepared statement from Hwaseong Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun. In the Mayor’s address delivered at the venue, local officials emphasized the broader social value of recreational athletics.
Sports have the power to transcend wins and losses, challenge one’s own potential, cheer for each other’s passion, and share the joy of being together,
Mayor Jeong stated in remarks provided by San Kyung Il Bo. The city administration added that it plans to expand local athletic infrastructure and daily sport access ahead of serving as the main host city for the 47th National Para Games in 2027.
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