Badminton Australia is delighted to announce that after an extensive recruitment process, that Sonia Gouveia has been appointed as the new National Participation & Para Manager.

Sonia was born and bred in the UK with a strong Portuguese heritage and moved to Australia 12 years ago where she fell in love with the weather, culture and endless possibilities. Over the past 15 years, she has led community engagement and sports participation initiatives with a focus on increasing activity levels of under-represented groups, across various sports including Netball and Tennis.

Sonia had her first taste of badminton at 15, and quickly realised she had found ‘her sport’. With an unwavering dedication to continuous improvement, she went on to compete at Uni, and then local leagues. She coached, volunteered at badminton clubs in various roles and became an accredited line judge which opened up the door to being part of amazing national and international tournaments including Commonwealth Games and Olympics.

Sonia said: “I’m excited about introducing badminton in whatever form and format to many more kids and adults in Australia to help foster their lifelong passion for the sport.

“With the Paris Olympics this year, we have a unique opportunity to showcase badminton and para badminton at the highest level in all its glory.

“Badminton truly is a sport that can be played anytime, anywhere and by anyone and that’s something I’m determined to show.”

Badminton Australia’s CEO Tjitte Weistra said: “We are thrilled to have Sonia as part of our team at BA. The National Participation & Para Manager role is a crucial role in our organisation driving participation growth across all our participation programs and initiatives including Shuttle Smash, Shuttle Time, Para Badminton, Inclusion etc.

“I’m confident that Sonia’s experience and love for badminton will shine through and we can’t wait to see the impact she will have on all things participation.”

Sonia will be Sydney based and officially begins her role on 17 July.