Tag Archives: events

Special Olympics Suffolk Badminton Players flying the County Flag in Kent

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Suffolk badminton players flew the county flag successfully at a Para-Disability Badminton tournament held recently in Gillingham, Kent. The event was hosted by Kent Badminton, in partnership with Badminton England and was attended by the President of Badminton England, Derek Batchelor and the CEO, Sue Storey.  

In addition to our local athletes, the event attracted competitors from Kent, Middlesex, Surrey, Lancashire and Devon.

Seven athletes from Special Olympics Suffolk/ActivLives competed with great distinction, in divisions for athletes with an intellectual (learning) disability, across the singles and doubles events.

“We have seen some brilliant performances from our players today, which have resulted in medals of all colours being won”, said Mike McCarthy, Badminton Coach from ActivLives and Special Olympics Suffolk. “As well as being competitive though, the positive, exuberant and fun attitude of our athletes is a privilege to witness, they are a credit to Suffolk!”.

The full results for this event can be found at https://be.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/winners.aspx?id=9ad0c9ca-67f4-4f5a-86e1-0e8e6be2707a     

If you would like to find out more about getting involved with badminton for players with a learning disability, particularly in the Ipswich area, please call ActivLives on 01473 345350 or email mike@activlives.org.uk     

Inclusive badminton tournament in Ipswich a huge success!

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Special Olympics Suffolk delivery partner,ActivLives, held another Inclusive Badminton Tournament recently at Gainsborough Sports Centre in Ipswich. The event, delivered by ActivLives, in partnership with Special Olympics Suffolk, and with the support of Special Olympics GB, was a tremendous success with 26 competitors from inclusive groups in Ipswich, Wimbledon and Southampton, taking part.

The programme consisted of four divisions, where players competed in doubles and singles groups in a round-robin format. The day concluded with a team relay event, with all of the players involved. There were some very close matches and divisions with one of the gold medals being decided by just a single point!

“Each time that we host one of these tournaments, the standard of play just keeps on rising”, said Mike McCarthy, ActivSport Development Officer. “These inclusive events, which are targeted at athletes with an intellectual/learning disability, are very important for us. They are a great way to help showcase the sportsmanship, commitment and talent of all the athletes who take part.   

Many thanks to our brilliant team of volunteers and also to our supporting partners Special Olympics Suffolk, Special Olympics GB, Suffolk Community Foundation and Ipswich Borough Council”.  

If you would like to find out more about getting involved with badminton for players with a learning disability, please call ActivLives on 01473 345350 or emailmike@activlives.org.uk