Bartlomiej Mroz

Started: He began playing badminton at age 11 in 2005. (Athlete, 27 Aug 2024; badmintoneurope.com, 18 May 2016) Reason: "My siblings and one cousin trained in badminton at our school. Once, I went to the gym to see what's going on there. Just being curious. I started to play against the wall and decided to go there for normal training. It was nice, fun and gave me a lot of positive energy. When I started, I didn't know that there is something like Para badminton and I played with able-bodied players. I got to know about Para badminton when along with my coach, we were at a tournament in Germany. The German team coach told us that there are Para badminton players and that I could compete in one of the categories." (Athlete, 27 Aug 2024; paralympic.org.pl, 02 Jan 2021; badmintoneurope.com, 18 May 2016) Ambition: To win a gold medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Athlete, 27 Aug 2024; polskieradio.pl, 29 May 2023) Awards: He was flag bearer for Poland at the closing ceremony of the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (rzeszow.stat.gov.pl, 05 Oct 2021) He received the 2015 Badminton Europe Confederation Para Badminton Player of the Year award. (badmintoneurope.com, 18 May 2016) Additional Info: OTHER ACTIVITIES In 2018 he launched a foundation to work for the development of Para badminton in Poland and promote sports activities, especially among people with an impairment. "I believe that the foundation will allow me to implement plans related to the dissemination of my discipline and it will become part of the lives of many disabled people who will start enjoying this competition as much as I do." In 2014 he became a tutor for Shuttle Time, a programme run by the Badminton World Federation [BWF] that promotes the sport among children. (Athlete, 27 Aug 2024; nysainfo.pl, 30 Apr 2020; bartlomiejmroz.pl, 01 Jan 2020; shuttletime.bwfbadminton.com, 01 Jan 2020) FURTHER EDUCATION In 2018 he completed a master's degree at the Academy of Sport Education in Warsaw, Poland. (bartlomiejmroz.pl, 01 Jan 2020)