Para-badminton has lost one of its driving forces in developing the sport and having it added to the Paralympic program.

Jim MacKay, seated in picture (Wales), a former European and World Champion in wheelchair badminton sadly passed away on Thursday 16 July 2015.

Jim Mackay was not only a good para-athlete - he was through many years one of the driving forces in promoting and developing the sport, with the ultimate goal of becoming a Paralympic sport, which was successed last October, where the IPC (International Paralympic Committee) announced that badminton will make its debut in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

He strongly contributed to the development of the sport through his work with the International Badminton Association for the Disabled (IBAD), later to become the Para-Badminton World Federation (PBWF). As a  proof for his great work for Para-badminton, BWF awarded Jim Mackay with its "Distinguished Service Award" in 2010 - so far as the only one from his country, Wales.

Badminton Europe mourns the loss of a great badminton lover, and send its deepest condolences to Jim's family.