Para Badminton Makes Meaningful Strides in Papua New Guinea Through Inclusive GymBad Week
A week of Inclusive GymBad activities in Port Moresby has delivered real progress for para badminton in Papua New Guinea, with Badminton Oceania, Interplast Australia & New Zealand, and Badminton PNG combining forces across athlete development, coaching education, and participant wellbeing.
Badminton Meets Rehabilitation — The Story Behind the Partnership
Inclusive GymBad blends physical conditioning, badminton skill work, and accessible sport design for athletes with disabilities. What makes this PNG programme distinctive is its partnership with Interplast Australia & New Zealand — a medical organisation specialising in reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation across the Pacific. Bringing a health organisation into a sports development programme reflects a whole-person approach: ensuring athletes have the physical support and wellbeing resources to play, not just the equipment and coaching.
Papua New Guinea is one of the Pacific's larger nations, and Badminton PNG's willingness to host a week-long programme signals growing ambition for the sport at every level, including para badminton — which has historically received far less resourcing than the able-bodied game across the region.
Building a Programme That Runs Itself
The long-term purpose of a week like this is self-sufficiency. Each GymBad camp strengthens the local coaching and volunteer base — the people who will run future sessions without needing Oceania-level support to make it happen. Progress in para sport is built one session at a time, and each one makes the next one easier to organise and better to deliver.
New Zealand's Quiet Role in Pacific Para Sport
Interplast Australia & New Zealand's involvement places Kiwi medical expertise at the heart of this initiative. New Zealand's contribution to Pacific badminton isn't only measured on the court — it shows up in development programmes like this, where Kiwi professionals help build sporting infrastructure that benefits athletes across the entire region.
Quick Facts
- Programme: Inclusive GymBad
- Location: Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea