Canadian Badminton Team Named for 2022 Commonwealth Games

Eight athletes chosen to represent Canada

OTTAWA - (2022-06-29) - Commonwealth Sport Canada (CSC) and Badminton Canada (BCan) today announced the athletes who will represent Team Canada in Badminton at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham England taking place July 28 to August 8, 2022.

Badminton Canada is coming off a record performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, having qualified a record eight athletes to the Games, while being one of nine countries to be represented in each event. With four of five events placing with a top 16 finish, Team Canada’s badminton athletes look to build on their momentum and make an impact at the Commonwealth Games this summer.

“Badminton Canada is excited to nominate eight athletes to the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England. Joining our team are some experienced veterans, including our 2014 Commonwealth Games Champion, Michelle Li. She will be leading several other Olympians and Commonwealth Games veterans that are looking to make an impact on court,” said High Performance Manager, Mike Luck.

The team will be coached by an experienced team at these Games including Head Coach Mike Butler.

“Our athletes have shown the world that they belong amongst the best,” says National Head Coach, Mike Butler. “The Commonwealth Games this summer is a great opportunity to have a breakout performance by a few of our athletes and build some momentum as we head for the Paris Olympic Games that are fast approaching.”

The eight athletes were selected based on their performance results between September 2021 and June 2022. The 2022 team includes several returning Commonwealth Games team members, among them, 2014 Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist in Women’s Singles, Michelle Li. In addition, rising star Brian Yang will look to make his mark in Men’s Singles after being the youngest to compete in the event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Women’s Doubles pair of Rachel Honderich and Kristen Tsai look for a strong performance after a heartbreaking loss in the group stage at the 2021 Olympic Games, losing to the eventual silver medalists in extra points in the third.

“Lead by 2014 Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist Michelle Li, this accomplished group is poised for some excellent results,” says Scott Stevenson, Executive Director, Team Canada 2022. “We are excited to see podium challenges from both the veterans and NextGen athletes on this team.”

Badminton Canada’s Women’s Team continues to develop and test top badminton nations. Lead by athletes like Michelle Li and Rachel Honderich for many years, Canada is now emerging with a strong pool of Next Gen female athletes. At the 2022 Uber Cup Finals, Team Canada lost narrowly (3-2) in the group stage, against the future winners, Team Korea.

The Men’s National Team shows incredible potential. In the past, Badminton Canada has struggled to qualify male athletes to major Games. However, this past year, badminton saw the largest qualification of male athletes to the Olympic Games in Canadian history. Among them includes Brian Yang, a rising star at just 20 years old. While being the youngest athlete in Men’s Singles at the 2020 Olympic Games, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) has identified him as a rising star in the sport.  

“I am excited to be competing in my second Commonwealth Games,” said Brian Yang. “I feel that I have developed a lot as a player since the last Games, and I am excited to see how far I can make it this time around.”

Badminton Canada is aiming for a total of two medals at these Commonwealth Games, including a repeat Gold medal performance like in Glasgow in 2014.

The team will participate in the pre-game competitions such as the Singapore Open, Malaysia Open, and Canadian National Championships in the weeks leading up to the tournament. The pre-games training camps will be held at the Markham Pan Am Centre from July 19-22, 2022.

The badminton competition will take place at the NEC Stadium, with a Mixed Team Event from July 29 to August 2, 2022, followed by the 5 individual events from August 3 – 8, 2022 (Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles).
 
Birmingham 2022 will feature 19 sports and eight para-sports as part of its program with up to 4,500 athletes taking part. The Commonwealth Games are the only multi-sport event that feature equal standing for sport and para-sport events, and these 2022 Games will showcase the largest para-sport program ever. In addition, for the first time in its history, the Games will feature more medal events for women (135) than men (133).

The badminton team which will represent Canada at the Birmingham 2022 includes:

Athletes:

Coaches:

ABOUT TEAM CANADA 2022

The 2022 Commonwealth Games will be host to 72 participating nations and territories taking part in the Games. The Commonwealth Games are a valuable opportunity as a steppingstone and development opportunity for Canadian athletes, coaches, and managers working towards Olympic and Paralympic success. Canada’s performance projection in 2022 is a top 3 ranking, in total medals, amongst all nations and territories competing. Commonwealth athletes won 80%+ of Canada's medals at the 2020 Olympic Games

Team Canada’s dedicated mission team will provide an optimal environment by celebrating equality, diversity, and non-discrimination. This is in support of our goals needed to enable a best ever performance by Canadian athletes at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

ABOUT Badminton Canada

Badminton Canada is the national sport governing body for badminton in Canada. Since its founding in 1921, Badminton Canada has continuously strived to inspire, promote, govern, and develop Badminton at all levels in Canada and create a world class Badminton sport system.

ABOUT COMMONWEALTH SPORT CANADA

Commonwealth Sport Canada (CSC) is the franchise holder for the Commonwealth Games and the Commonwealth sport movement in Canada. CSC is an active, contributing member of the Canadian sport community and supports Canada’s athletes to achieve excellence at Olympic, Paralympic Games, and world championships. The mission of CSC is to enrich the lives of youth across the Commonwealth and host the Commonwealth Games. CSC is responsible for all aspects of Canada’s participation in the XXII Commonwealth Games and will be sending a team of almost 400 of Canada’s best athletes and coaches to compete for Canada. The upcoming Games will occur in Birmingham, England from July 28 through to August 8, 2022. For additional information go to: www.commonwealthsport.ca.

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For more information, please contact:

Mike Luck
High Performance Manager, Badminton Canada
Email: mikeluck@badminton.ca 
613-748-5674 ext.4510

Patrick Kenny
Communications Team Leader – Team Canada 2022
Email: patrick@commonwealthsport.ca
613 724 7160