The achievements of our players, first and foremost, have been a shining light. Their on-court performances have helped elevate badminton to new heights. 

Of most significance, however, has been our historic debut at the Paralympic Games. This has been a significant milestone long in the making, one which has brought great satisfaction to the entire badminton community, as well as all those closely involved in the process. 

For me, to see that very first shuttle served at the Paralympics is something I will treasure forever. It represented so much to so many, and is proof of the sport’s maturity. 

Visually, I thought the Para badminton competition was spectacular and proved that our sport's presentation is equal - if not better - than a number of other events. And mixed with the collective performances of our technical officials and players, who demonstrated elite standards throughout, Tokyo 2020 showed that Para badminton is ready to stay on the Paralympic programme for many years to come.

Para badminton’s inclusion into the Paralympic family gained real momentum in 2011 when the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Council decided to integrate the processes and structures of Para badminton into the governance and management structure of the BWF, in line with our "one sport – one team" mantra. 

An attempt was made to have Para badminton included for London 2012, but we knew we probably weren’t quite ready. We then also submitted to have Para badminton included for Rio 2016, but unfortunately, we didn’t quite make it. 

While the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) was positive and encouraged us to keep trying, we did have internal concerns about being able to keep volunteer officials, coaches and even players in the game long-term. We thought there might have been a risk the whole structure could fall away. 

But instead, in 2015, when Para badminton was selected by the IPC as an official event for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, the opposite happened, and the community came back stronger with a great eagerness, commitment and determination to make Para badminton better. This allowed us to make thorough preparations for our debut and showed that we can make amazing things happen.

In the lead up to Tokyo 2020, we also received the great news that Para badminton would continue to be on the Paralympic programme for Paris 2024. 

This was a real recognition of our global growth. The sport is now played in more than 80 countries across five continents. It also allowed us to establish long-term pathways for making Para badminton more accessible to more people, and help safeguard the sport’s future. 

In my conversations with IPC President Andrew Parsons at Tokyo 2020, he was very positive about Para badminton and indicated that the IPC and Agitos Foundation would continue to support the BWF in our development and grassroots programmes. 

On top of complementing the high standard of competition on show - and signalling his intent to one day pick up a racket himself - he praised the strong administration and development set-up we currently had. 

This is great news for us. We have heavily invested in our governance as we attempt to encourage more people with a disability to take up badminton. Knowing we are exceeding the expectations of the Paralympic Movement in this space is important and potentially opens more doors in helping us build the necessary frameworks and income generation to support our growth.

In the near future, I see the need for us to work even closer with our Continental Confederations and other key stakeholder groups to deliver a consolidated awareness programme to broaden our player database. 

One of the challenges right now is to increase the depth at the elite level and to get more players willing to invest in becoming the best in Para badminton. What I would like is for more elite athletes to be exposed to badminton, to be excited by our advanced development programmes and tournament structures, and to join us on this journey as we grow the sport globally. 

One way to break down this barrier is for players to join the sport at an early age, and for us to create training structures for young players from the start. This builds an environment they are able to feel confident and comfortable in from day one. 

Unfortunately, I still hear stories, including from my home country, Denmark, that some athletes with a disability are hesitant to play badminton because they do not feel accepted. I feel that the more we can create positive support structures for our players, new and old, in more established Para badminton regions worldwide, the better chance we have in diversifying our talent pool.

Debuting at Tokyo 2020 has certainly helped raise the visibility of Para badminton internally and externally. We now have a platform to profile the sport’s stars, work with them as role models for future generations, and share their amazing stories of success to show others that anything is possible. And with Paris 2024 now only three years away, there will be greater enthusiasm among the playing group to help grow the sport more and more. 

Without the advanced sponsorship structure that we enjoy in able-bodied badminton, we rely on cooperation from Governments and stakeholders to help promote badminton as a sport for all. 

Therefore, integrating our current players, this integration of our current batch of players as mentors into what we start doing for the next generation becomes an equally important component of our long-term strategic plan. 

If we want to be around for Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032, we need to create more national systems and bring more players in at a young age. This requires a lot of hard work, a lot of investment, and a lot of good people involved at the community level, but I believe we are well-positioned to take the necessary steps forward to achieve this.