We have among us a colleague who is behind the creation of parabadminton in Slovakia

CANCOM Slovakia: Badminton is quite an unusual sport. How did you get there?

Badminton became a part of my life when I was 10 years old and it was a complete coincidence. My grandfather was in the hospital, and he had a roommate whose grandson was playing, and somehow it got to me. At that time, there was a club Lokomotiva Košice in Košice, which I joined and started playing there.

CANCOM Slovakia: How did it work at such a club at that time?

Badminton was still in its infancy at that time, because today’s children have a completely different set of training. We used to have workouts 3 times a week and basically, we were just playing and we had fitness training every now and then. I still remember how we had to run up to Bankov. (laughter) Today, in addition to the training plan, children also have various strength trainings, regenerations, saunas and so on.

CANCOM Slovakia: Did you go to any competitions within the club?

In the club I went through all age categories from 10 to 18 years, and we regularly went to various junior competitions. I managed to win something here and there. I guess I managed to win about 11 medals in that time. Unfortunately, I cannot boast of gold. They were all second or third places. Then I won gold only from the team competition and I am really happy about that until now. My competition then messed up my knee a bit. However, badminton remained close to my heart.

CANCOM Slovakia: How did your journey with badminton continue when you could no longer fully devote yourself to it?

My coach at that time, Mr. Kozák, decided to open a new badminton hall in Košice and asked me if I could help him with it. Of course, I wasn’t alone there, but we did everything there back then. We started with painting and remodeling, and then I got to manage the reservation system and take care of customers.

CANCOM Slovakia: Where do we have to go to check how well you painted the hall?

(laughter) The hall is located at Vyšný Opátske, Cassovia Badminton Spot. There is also the possibility to play commercially for basically anyone. I’m still involved there, although not as much as I used to, but we do various corporate tournaments, and we have our own club. Our membership base is children from 9/10 years of age, who train under the supervision of two experienced coaches.

CANCOM Slovakia: Have you ever been tempted to become a coach when you couldn’t play anymore?

When we started the new hall, I also took the coaching exams for the first and second classes. The higher the class, the higher the level. I started coaching kids. In fact, I only devoted a moment to this, because it was very time-consuming. Being a coach in this sport and doing it as a full-time job is very difficult and the more difficult it is to make a living from it. But for me, it’s still a big deal and I’m currently playing recreationally, for taste, especially when my knee lets go.

CANCOM Slovakia: Do you still have any goals or ambitions in badminton?

Not very personal anymore. Now a big topic for me is para-badminton. My father first came up with this idea. We discussed whether such a thing exists in Slovakia and, if so, where and how we could start in Košice. After a short search, we came to the conclusion that in the Czech Republic and Poland this sport is already quite developed, but here in Slovakia we are the first to do it. We started very “ideal”, right in the middle of the Covid pandemic. It was then that we found our first ward in Kováčová.

CANCOM Slovakia: That’s really great. How are you doing?

In the three years since we started doing this, our group of wards has grown a bit and we are currently working with four players, which sounds pathetic at first glance, but it is very difficult to find someone for para-badminton. The truth is that there are an awful lot of sports for the physically disabled and everyone is basically competing for those interested. On the one hand, it is difficult to find someone with physical disabilities who is interested in some sport, and at the same time badminton is not so popular.

Just a month ago, we managed to organize the first nationwide tournament, to which players from the Czech Republic and Poland also came, which is a huge success for us. In total, we had 22 players registered, which gradually brings us to awareness and to a higher level. We have managed to establish cooperation with the Slovak Paralympic Committee, similar clubs abroad and have also established contact with some foundations and the city, which are beginning to see us as partners

CANCOM Slovakia: Do you have something badminton taught you and do you translate it into your working life?

I never really thought about it that way, but with badminton being an individual sport, I think all the losing and crying I’ve experienced in tournaments has definitely shaped me in some way. They have helped and are helping to overcome overcoming the knocks and discomfort, which can be very helpful. And I also feel that I can fit in better with the team, get to know each other, perform and overcome nervousness because of it.

CANCOM Slovakia: Do you have any final advice for colleagues who would like to start with badminton?

Definitely let me know! I love talking about badminton and I love to dispel myths about the sport. Many people think that badminton is a boring sport, after all, everyone plays it at home in the garden and you can pinch 100 times without dropping your basket. When that person comes into the hall and sees with his own eyes how fast the pace is, he gets a completely different perspective on the sport. If someone wants to, you need to give it a try. This sport is easy to equip and anyone can start