TOUPE David

Classification
WH1 (BWF, 20 Apr 2020)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (lematin.ch, 13 Jun 2019)

Impairment Details
He sustained an injury in a skiing accident in 2003 that resulted in paraplegia. (lematin.ch, 13 Jun 2019)

General
PIONEER
A badminton player before his accident, he was not expecting to return to the sport. After discovering Para badminton in a rehabilitation centre he became curious about the sport. "I did my own research just by curiosity and I saw that there was an international federation but nothing in France. Being a physiotherapist and in a wheelchair, I told myself, 'If you don't do it, then who will?'" He went to the French national federation only to discover that there was not any Para badminton infrastructure. In 2004, alongside the technical director of the Pays de Fougeres Badminton Club, Michael Erabit, he brought the rules of doubles Para badminton to France, and began its development in the country. A year later, a Para badminton commission was created in the French federation. "As it is very difficult to develop a sport without practising it I entered into the game. I experienced the same sensations of leisure and speed that I had when I began. The will of results came a bit later." (letelegramme.fr, 16 Jan 2017; badmintonjocondien.fr, 2018; enroutepourrio.eu, 05 Dec 2014)

OCCUPATION
He has served as a physiotherapist and badminton coach, as well as a technical consultant at the French Badminton Federation. (LinkedIn profile, 2018; letelegramme.fr, 16 Jan 2017)

FURTHER STUDIES
He has a master's degree in motricity and adaptation, as well as a diploma in education and is a certified sports teacher. (LinkedIn profile, 2018)