Following the success of the Yonex Scottish National Championships the badminton season continues unabated with a number of tournaments taking place over the coming weeks.

Glasgow’s Scotstoun International Sports Arena is the setting for a festival of badminton with the first set of challenges being the BADMINTONscotland organised 4 Nations Disability Championships being held from 19^th to 21^st February.

This event, previously held in April, has this year been pulled forward to follow on from the Irish and Welsh legs of the disability tournaments that have already been contested this season with the English tournament due to be held from 16-18 April in Manchester.

Testimony to the growing popularity of the sport amongst disabled athletes is a massive 98 competitors entering the Scottish leg spread over four categories - Standing, Dwarf, Learning Difficulty and Wheelchair which attracts some of the country’s elite sportsmen and women competing in this third annual tournament.

Russell Hogg, Development Manager at BADMINTONscotland said “the entry this year is fantastic, especially in the LD section.

“Almost 100 athletes will compete in the Scottish leg of the 4 Nations Disability Championships in total, which demonstrates the increasing popularity of disabled badminton across the country and shows the hard work that is being done across UK to promote the sport is paying dividends.

“This promises to be a fantastic event and I urge spectators to come along and support it and watch these incredible athletes perform.”

The second of the tournaments being held at Scotstoun over the weekend of 19-21 February is the Junior Sports Centre Restricted Championships, due to take place on Saturday 20^th at the National Badminton Academy, adjacent to the International Sports Arena.

The tournament, the second of its kind, is designed to provide a platform for those players aged under 16 who have not played in a competitive environment previously.  The structure of the tournament is such that each player is guaranteed at least three games as a result of playing in groups rather than on a knockout basis.

As Jill O’Neill, Badminton Development Officer with Culture and Sport Glasgow who are organising the tournament, said: “This kind of tournament provides a unique opportunity for young people who enjoy playing the sport to introduce themselves to competition in a relaxed yet fun way.”

Around 50 entrants are expected who will play in singles and doubles events which kick off at 9.30am with prizes ranging from trophies to badminton equipment donated by sponsors.

Competitors will be grouped according to the level they play at, the details of which will be provided at application stage.  Jill commented: “Everyone is welcome at the event and will cater for all classes of player from the totally inexperienced to those who may play the sport at their local sports centre on an occasional basis.”

For further information contact BADMINTONscotland on 0141 445 1218.