From January 29th to February 1st, 2020, Badminton Canada will be hosting the 2020 YONEX Canadian National Badminton Championships at the Prairie Badminton Club in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

For the first time in history, Badminton Canada will be hosting the National Championships for both able-bodied and para-badminton at the same time, and in the same venue.

“Badminton Canada has made inclusivity a priority; combining these events into one Championship was a crucial and necessary step for the organization” said Joe Morissette, Executive Director of Badminton Canada. “We welcome badminton ententhusiasts of all abilities to come watch and experience the fastest racquet sport in the world!”

On display at the 2020 YONEX Canadian National Badminton Championships will be Canada’s best badminton athletes, including the youngest National Champion in history, Brian Yang. Yang is currently 2nd on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Junior Ranking, and fresh off an incredible season – winning a Bronze medal at the Pan American Games this summer at the age of 17.

Joining, Yang will be fellow YONEX National Team athletes, including Women’s Doubles pair Rachel Honderich and Kristen Tsai; Men’s Doubles pair Jason Ho-Shue and Nyl Yakura; and Mixed Doubles pair Joshua Hurlburt-Yu and Josephine Wu – all of whom are defending National Champions and 2019 Pan Am Games Champions.

“We have our best athletes attending the Championships this year, it is sure to be a great competition with tons of great performances and energy” said Mike Butler, National Team Head Coach. “With para-badminton debuting in the 2020 Paralympic Games this summer in Tokyo, athletes and spectators will get a taste of the amazing things these para-athletes can do!”

An athlete to watch in the para-badminton events is young Winnipeg local, Olivia Meier. Meier trains out of the Winnipeg Winter Club (WWC), and has been a top performer for Canada since she began competing in para-badminton in 2016. This past summer, Meier claimed her first Parapan Am Games title in Mixed Doubles (SL3/SU5) alongside partner, Pascal Lapointe, and was also able to claim a silver medal with an outstanding performance in Women’s Singles (SL3/SU5). Now, like many of our Canadian badminton athletes, Meier looks to capture a National Championship title, however this time, she has the potential to do it in her hometown!

Schedule of Play:
• Wednesday January 29th & Thursday January 30th 2020 – Main Round Matches – All Day
• Friday January 31st – Semi-Finals begin a 5:00PM MST
• Saturday February 1st – Finals being at 12:00PM MST – Medals & Awards at 5:00PM MST
Prairie Badminton
275 De Baets st. Unit 2
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R2J 4A8

For media access and athlete availability, please contact mikeluck@badminton.ca
Mike Luck
Events & Communications, Manager
Badminton Canada
mikeluck@badminton.ca
(613) 748-5674 ext. 223