Development

Ottawa, ON – From July 5^th to the 8^th Badminton Canada held their Annual General Meeting in Gatineau, Quebec. With a large number of Provincial members attending the AGM, the members collaborated in a collective direction for our organization and discussed how to best serve our greater Canadian badminton community.

Significant work was done at the AGM by the membership in the areas of strategic planning, high performance, competitions, and revenue generation. On July 8^th, Badminton Canada also held it’s Board elections, with 3 positions available to be filled. The membership elected Erik Nilsson (re-elected on a 2-year term), Chris White (re-elected on a 2 -year term), and Claire Backhouse-Sharpe (new member to the Board of Directors on a 1-year term).

Claire joins the Board of Directors as an experienced high-performance player, competing in an outstanding five Commonwealth Games, five World Championships, as well as the Olympics in 1988. Her contributions as an administrator was instrumental in developing Sport Canada’s Athlete Assistance Policy as it relates to pregnancy, parenthood, and the female athlete.

“I'm inspired by Badminton Canada's stated values and mission of "Canadians unified AS ONE to grow the sport of Badminton at all levels in Canada and to challenge the world in our sport", as they reflect my own” said Claire Backhouse-Sharpe. “I'm looking forward to joining the board and working to provide opportunities for all to enjoy and excel in our sport.”

Returning Director at Large, Chris White is thrilled to be involved with the Board of Directors for his second consecutive year and is excited to continue help support the organization. 

“I consider this to be the ultimate privilege, having the opportunity to work closely with so many partners, all of whom are incredibly talented, passionate and determined to raise the bar of excellence within our sport” said Chris White. “While there is heavy lifting ahead of us to exceed these goals as a National Sporting Organization, these are incredibly exciting times for Badminton in Canada and I am looking forward to being part of the journey.”

Finally, Erik Nilsson is also returning as a Director at Large. His contributions and support on and off the court have helped engage athletes from our high-performance streams and masters association. He will look to continue to help support Badminton Canada and its programs on the west coast of the country.

“It's an honour to serve on the board of Badminton Canada” said Erik Nilsson. “I look forward to continue to help the sport of Badminton flourish in our country”

Mike Luck
Events & Communications Officer
Badminton Canada