High-Performance

Ottawa (October 23, 2026) – Badminton Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee have announced the roster of Team Canada badminton athletes nominated to compete at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games. The two athletes are: 

 

Shaurya Gullaiya (Brampton, Ont.) 

Emily Luo (Toronto, Ont.) 

 

Both athletes have demonstrated great results on the international and National circuits. On the international stage, Shaurya Gullaiya recently represented Canada at the BWF World Junior Championships 2026 in both the team and individual events. His strong national results include winning the U19 boys singles title at the 2026 Canadian Junior Championships and finishing third in men's singles at the 2026 Canadian Senior Championships. Emily Luo has seen success on the National stage with her recent win at the 2026 Canadian Junior Championships in U19 girl's singles and a third-place finish at the 2026 Atlantic Junior Elite in September.  

 

Team Canada's badminton team for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games also includes Team Canada head coach Mike Butler. 

 

"I am so pleased for our two athletes that will be competing at such a prestigious event. Emily Luo and Shaurya Gullaiya will represent Canada with pride and compete against some of the world's best badminton athletes in Dakar" says Mike Butler, Team Canada Head Coach. "We are excited to see Senegal and experiencing the first-ever Olympic sporting event in Africa." 

 

Badminton will take place November 1 – 5 at the Dakar Arena in Senegal.  

 

The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) are the world's largest multi-sport event for high-performance young athletes aged 15 – 18. Dakar 2026 will begin on October 31 and will end on November 13, 2026, and will feature 2700 athletes. Dakar 2026 will be the fourth edition of the Summer YOG and the first time in Africa. It will have a fully gender-balanced sporting program and will feature competition sports in addition to 10 engagement sports. 

 

Prior to being named to Team Canada, all nominations are subject to approval by the Olympic Committee's Team Selection Committee following its receipt of nominations by all National Sport Organizations.   

 

-30- 

 

For more information or media inquiries please contact:   

Bryan R. Merrett   

Executive Director   

C: 613-518-1501, X2083   

E: bmerrett@badminton.ca  

 

Tara MacBournie, Associate Manager, Sport Communications 

C: Canadian Olympic Committee 

E: 647-522-8328 

tmacbournie@olympic.ca 

 

 

About Badminton Canada   

With shuttles reaching speeds as high as 565 kph, badminton attracts more than 220 million people worldwide to play the sport weekly, making badminton the second most participated-in sport in the world. Badminton Canada works to grow the game across the country through events, coaching and officials’ development, and developing programs such as Shuttletime. In Canada, over 2 million people picked up a badminton racquet and played our sport. Some play at the cottage, some in the backyard, at school, the local community centre or as part of an organized Badminton Canada competition. Badminton is easily accessible – for any Canadian – at any age – for life!