When most Canadians think about badminton, they picture leisurely days in their backyard with friends, casually hitting a birdie over the net. Take a closer look at the elite level of the sport and you’ll quickly realize those carefree days in the backyard are far from what happens when the best in the world are playing.

Here’s what you need to know about the biggest badminton competition in Canada:

When it comes to badminton in Canada, this is as good as it gets. The six-day competition features more than 300 athletes from all over the world, with men and women competing in both doubles and singles and trying to earn a share of the $75,000 USD in prize money.

While the international badminton rankings are constantly shifting, the Calgary event should have numerous athletes who are in the top-20 in the world as well as five competitors have been ranked No. 1 in the world in the past couple of years. We weren’t kidding when we said these were the world’s best badminton players.
 

Part of the reason the 2019 event has attracted so many top international competitors is that it’s a critical time in the Olympic qualifying window. With the Summer Olympics being hosted in Tokyo Japan next year, athletes are scrambling to pick up as many qualifying points as possible.

The best part is that every single match matters. The Olympic qualification process is complicated in every sport, but the basics are always straightforward. The more you win, the better.

Definitely.

Yes! Badminton Alberta’s Alex Pang is excited about the whole event and is especially excited about two Canadians who are going to be competing this year.

First up is Michelle Li, who happens to be No. 15 in the world and has shown that she can beat just about anybody. “She’s beaten pretty much every single player in the top-10 in the world and she’s very capable,” Pang said. “She’s not consistently beating them all of the time, but she’s beaten all of them and is for sure a contender to win this year.”

Beyond the packed stands at the YONEX Canada Open, there are also opportunities for fans to have a little fun and try badminton out for themselves. The event takes over the Markin MacPhail Centre, and guests can try out the sport for themselves with games that might just get them started on a long badminton journey. “We just think it’s such a great sport you can play for life,” Pang said. “A lot of the community, the leisure and recreational community that enjoys badminton, they get out and play with a group of friends and then they play for their whole life.”

The YONEX Canada Open Super 100 comes to Calgary July 2-7, 2019 at the Markin MacPhail Centre at WinSport.