On January 20 and 21, 20 physical education teachers and coaches participated in a training course aimed at educating trainers and PE teachers in teaching badminton, with a focus on instructing individuals with special needs, particularly those with intellectual disabilities. The training was organized by the Bulgarian Badminton Federation with an invitation from the Regional Education and Sport Department of the city of Smolyan, Bulgaria.

 

PE teacher Rosen Bakardzhiev says: 'I am very happy that this training was held in our city. Badminton is one of the most inclusive sports, and we want to develop a lot of badminton and para-badminton in our city.'

 

The Shuttle Time program was also introduced to the PE teachers. The theoretical part included the rules of badminton and the specifics of working with people with special needs. In the practical part, all the main strokes of badminton and specifics for working with kids and people with special needs were included.

 

Miroslav Petrov from the Bulgarian Badminton Federation, who was leading the training, summarizes the activity as follows: 'I am very happy that I had the possibility to introduce our sport to the coaches and PE teachers in the region of Smolyan. People are very positive, and they already made a plan on how to develop badminton and para-badminton in their city and region.'