Sunday Times 2
Sri Lankan representative at Para-Badminton World Championships
View(s):Standing only three feet and 10 inches tall, Randika Doling née Cooray will be Sri Lanka’s only representative at The 2015 Para-Badminton World Championships. This, the 10th edition of para-badminton’s flagship global event is set to be the largest in history. Over 240 competitors from over 35 nations are expected to compete to become world champions in their respective classifications.23 world titles will be played for over the four days of competition.
Randika and Paul Doling
Doling will be representing Sri Lanka in the under SS6 (short stature) category. She will compete in the singles games and then in mixed doubles with her husband Paul Doling (who will be representing England).
“I am proud to represent my country, however I wish I wasn’t the only Sri Lankan taking part in these games,” Doling told the Sunday Times. Born with achondroplasia, Doling has a genetic condition that has resulted in disproportionately short arms and legs.To gear up for the competition, which will take place in Stoke Mandeville, England from September10 – 13, she has been on a strict training regimen in the months leading up to event.
Working with a professional coach, she and her husband Paul Doling have been preparing to take on the competition. Doling says part of her preparations have included fitness training in the gym to help her build her stamina up. The two have also made a point of attending local and national tournaments to build their competitive match play. “This has meant the last 4-5 months have been very hectic especially when my husband and I have full time jobs,” says Doling.
This is not the first time Doling has represented Sri Lanka at a world sporting event. She participated in the World Dwarf Games in 2009 and 2013 where she won medals and earned Sri Lanka its first ever Gold medal in para-badminton. Now, Doling says the competition has only gotten harder. “Recently para-badminton was awarded Paralympic status for Tokyo 2020 so there are now many more players taking part in these events including the SS6 (short stature) category, so the PBWC is going to be a tough event,” she explains. She will have to test her mettle against players from England, Ireland, Poland, Ghana, India, Netherlands, Russia, Australia and New Zealand.
Doling is looking forward to the event and says competitions like this play a critical role. “Due to people’s disabilities not everyone gets to compete on a level playing field,” she says, adding,”This can make people feel isolated and lose their self-confidence.”She believes para events including para-badminton provide an opportunity for the disabled to regain their motivation and compete.
“Just because you have a difference or disability shouldn’t stop you achieving your goals. Since I moved to England and found para sports my self-confidence has grown immensely and I no longer see myself as being disabled – just someone with a difference. I hope everyone with a disability could feel like this and achieve their goals whatever they are,” says Doling.
This is the sixth time the BWF Para-Badminton World Championships are being held in Europe. Previously, the championships were held in the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Wales, and Germany.The BWF Para-Badminton World Championships will be finale to a busy 2015 season for the world’s best para-badminton players which includes international events in Spain, Beijing, Dublin and Indonesia.