We are excited to welcome Stephen Hadlow to the Badminton Australia team!

Stephen brings valuable expertise and a passion for the sport, helping BA continue to grow and inspire the Australian para badminton community.

As BA’s Para Performance Support Specialist, Stephen will provide performance-focused support and expertise that will benefit athletes in the Para Badminton Falcons program as well as support BA in progressing and implementing strategic projects and initiatives identified in the LA28+ strategy.

“Having been connected to the para-badminton community through my previous role at Paralympics Australia, I believe BA is well positioned with exciting new opportunities to progress para badminton as a sport and drive future performance outcomes,” Stephen said.

“My work with Paralympics Australia involved a mix of applied skill acquisition support for Paralympic and high-performance coaches and athletes, as well as providing strategic insights and advisory support to multiple Paralympic sports and programs.”

Stephen’s diverse background in sport also involves applied sport science, coach support and research. He has worked with AFL Queensland, where he was involved in coordinating and delivering grassroots football programs for school students, as well as offering program coordination and physical conditioning coaching.

He also holds a PhD in sport science, specialising in skill acquisition, which is the science of optimising the design of learning/training environments to promote skill development in preparations for competitions.

“We are thrilled to welcome Stephen to BA as our Para Performance Support Specialist,” Badminton Australia CEO Tjitte (TJ) Weistra said.

“His expertise and passion for excellence will undoubtedly make a significant impact as we continue to strengthen and elevate our performance standards. We are excited for his contributions to the para badminton program, and we look forward to achieving more success on the badminton court.”