General

Jun 18, 2015 | 
Markham Economist & Sun
By Michael Hayakawa 

Philip Chow loves badminton.

While the Markham resident acknowledged he’s at best a recreational level competitor, his zest for the game remains strong — not just on the court, but away from it as well.

That will be evident when the first shuttlecock is served for the badminton competition at the Markham Pan Am Centre as part of the 2015 Pan Am Games.

The badminton competition runs from July 11 to 16.

What Chow, 52, has accomplished in the game over the last few years drew the attention of the Pan Am Games organizers when they appointed him to be the Badminton Sport Chair for the 2015 Games two years ago.

It’s a position Chow readily accepted.

“I didn’t apply for it and I didn’t even know the sport chair position existed, but I found out through the Pan Am people that each sport requires a sports chair and they told me they saw what I was doing with Badminton Canada and Badminton Ontario,” he said.

What the organizers got in Chow, who was also chosen to be a runner when the Pan Am torch relay comes to Markham June 27, was an individual who brought plenty to the table in terms of organizational and administrative skills, along with a boundless wave of enthusiasm.

That could be seen in 2009 when he launched the Markham Badminton Club.

Under Chow’s direction, the club grew from six members to more than 900 participants.

In addition to running the club, Chow is president of the Federation of Badminton Clubs, which during his involvement, received a four-year, $214,500 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s local grant review team in 2013.

He’s also the membership and house league director for the Toronto District Badminton Association.

While Chow wears several hats and enjoys serving in those various capacities, he’s quick to credit

much of what organizational skills he has acquired to his past involvement in the Unionville-Milliken Soccer Club.

As a coach and house league director for close to eight seasons, Chow learned there’s a direct link between soccer clubs at the district level to a provincial organization which, in turn, is linked nationally.

In badminton, Chow said, no such continuity exists, but it’s something he wants to develop.

“I saw a vision where if you build a structure around badminton, to bring a number of clubs together, you will create a lot of strength for funding and from a promotional point of view, to bring all of the clubs under one umbrella under Badminton Ontario and Badminton Canada,” he said.

Employed full time as national technology manager for Honeywell Canada when he’s not on the badminton court, Chow said his time working in that environment has also enabled him to develop what organizational acumen he has acquired.

Since taking on the role of badminton sport chair, Chow has been busy making sure the competition will go on without a hitch.

One of those duties was getting the ball rolling by running clinics to recruit 200 volunteer line judges at Cornell Community Centre.

Chow got more than he bargained for, as some 300 individuals registered.

“The Pan Am organizers were telling us we are way ahead of schedule,” Chow said of the timetable in preparing for the 2015 badminton competition. “From a badminton community point of view, we’re trying and very engaged in what we’re doing.”

A recipient of a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013, Chow said even when the badminton competition at the 2015 Pan Am Games concludes, he still wants to be involved in generating interest in badminton, especially with the younger segment in Markham, since the sport can impact their lives by creating a healthy and active lifestyle.

“I’m not a real sports guy, but there’s a lot of work to be done and I do it for the community, because it’s important to engage our youth,” he said.