Hong Kong ex-Paralympian Daniel Chan aims to improve badminton players' lives in new role
Two-time Paralympic medallist Daniel Chan Ho-yuen hoped to push for more resources from the Badminton World Federation (BWF) to further develop the sport worldwide after being appointed chair of the Para Badminton Athletes' Commission and a BWF Council member last Thursday.
Advertisement
While his chairmanship is technically only until re-elections in December – though there was an understanding with the BWF that he would continue in the role and his re-election would be a formality – Chan intended to use his time in the position to improve the conditions for those still playing the sport.
'It wasn't even a Paralympic sport when I first started serving,' said Chan, who has been a commission member for eight years. 'It is now a sport, and people are learning more about it, but the resources are lacking and quite poor.
'We are lucky in Hong Kong because we can be full-time athletes, but that is not the case for athletes in many other countries.'
Daniel Chan won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021. Photo: Hong Kong Paralympic Association
Chan, who won a bronze and silver medal at the Tokyo and Paris Paralympics respectively, also said that badminton's prominence in Asia meant the sport in the region was better off than in the other continents.
Advertisement
'In Europe, Africa, South America and even Oceania, where badminton isn't a prime sport or as much a part of the culture, players need to cover their own expenses to compete overseas, and this can be very expensive,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Why Hong Kong's star cyclist Ceci Lee wants a different title this year
Hong Kong cyclist Ceci Lee Sze-wing has promised to go flat-out on Saturday in pursuit of a first time-trial success at the city's National Road Championships. Lee has won the road race at the past two editions, but finished runner-up behind Chloe Leung Wing-yee in last year's race against the clock. An Olympian last year on road and track, Lee has outgrown the local scene, and acknowledged Hong Kong titles were only 'a little target'. However, honing her time-trialling is a priority as she targets major future success in the velodrome, and specifically the omnium. 'If I master it, it's going to give me more weapons in the omnium, so it's very important for me,' Lee said. 'Most of the time, I've not done well in time-trialling, and I need to improve to become an all-rounder.' Ceci Lee said improving her time-trialling could help her in the omnium. Photo: Jonathan Wong Leung will start as favourite to claim her third straight time-trial title over the 15km (9.3-mile) course in Tai Po, where the men's and youth races will also be staged.
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
South Korea lifts 26-year ban on foreign goalkeepers in the K League
A 26-year ban on foreign goalkeepers in South Korea's top football league has been lifted for the start of the 2026 season. Only Korean goalkeepers have been allowed to play in the K League, the oldest professional domestic league in Asia, since 1999. The rule was introduced in a bid to protect homegrown talent when there were only 10 professional clubs. The K League announced after a board meeting in Seoul this week that because there were now 26 professional clubs in the top two tiers of competition, there was enough room for international goalkeepers. 'The increase in the number of clubs means that there are enough opportunities for domestic goalkeepers to play even if foreign goalkeepers are allowed,' the board said in a statement. 'We considered the fact that with foreign player registrations restricted, the salary increase rate of domestic goalkeepers has increased disproportionately to outfield players.' There were reportedly concerns, because of the increased size of modern rosters which contain three or four goalkeepers, that there was a shortage of quality keepers in the country.
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hongkonger thriving in Sweden after football degree course at Real Madrid
If it sounds far-fetched that Matthew Mak Pak-hei has targeted winning the Champions League, the Hongkonger's ascent to a plum European football job suggests he is entitled to dream big. Mak, 25, is into his third season as an analyst for Swedish champions Malmo, only seven years after he began 'looking into tactics for fun'. He got there by studying for a degree at Real Madrid, but was initially fixated on the methods of Pep Guardiola, perfected at Barcelona and now practised at Manchester City. 'There were debates about whether he was really good, or a fraud who always had top players,' said Mak, who as a City fan favours the former argument. 'I didn't start with any ambitions to be in the industry; I just began looking at more teams and tactics as a hobby.' During his Global Studies degree at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Mak estimates he watched up to 500 matches per year. He began writing for Total Football Analysis magazine, and Malmo head coach Henrik Rydstrom, then in charge of Kalmar, admired his work. Real Madrid's Luka Modric takes a corner at the club's Bernabeu Stadium. Photo: AFP 'I liked how his team played, and he liked how I saw the game,' Mak said. 'He didn't have much analytical support, so we spoke a lot.'
