Badminton recently received some royal publicity at one of the leading medical institutions in Spain. During a visit to the National Hospital of Paraplegics in Toledo, King Felipe VI took to the badminton courts with some of the patients as he tried out a number of sports, which are used as part of the rehabilitation programmes.

The National Hospital of Paraplegics is the most important medical centre for the treatment of spinal injuries in Spain and one of the most important in Europe. Patients there practice badminton twice weekly, thanks to an arrangement with Castilla-La Mancha Badminton Federation (the regional federation and a member of Badminton Spain), which provides trainers.

The aim of these sessions is to increase the range of movement, both for patients who can stand and those who are in wheelchairs. Trainers have indicated that patients who practice badminton regularly improve their movement and upper-body coordination.