Summer sports splurge: Canadian Para athletes in action in badminton, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby

RIFFA, Bahrain – Vancouver’s Mikhail Bilenki won a second-round men’s WH1 (wheelchair) singles match at the BWF Para Badminton World Championships, defeating Australia’s Martyn Ford 21-19, 14-21, 21-18.

Earlier in the day, the 64-year-old Canadian lost his opening match to top seed Muhammad Ikhwan Ramli. The victory over Ford ensured Bilenki advanced from the day with one win and continued a streak of earning at least one victory at each of the last three world championships he has contested.

Bilenki is the oldest player in the field at this edition of the championships.

“I played a little better than yesterday,” Bilenki told the IBF website. “You have nothing to lose. You are relaxed. That helps.”

A former tennis player, Bilenki took up badminton in 2017 after being introduced to the sport by a fellow wheelchair athlete. He trains three to four times a week while working full time in bioinformatics research in Vancouver.

“It’s a good feeling,” Bilenki said. “My mother will be happy. She’s my biggest cheerleader.”

Canada has fielded a large team for the worlds which started Sunday and runs to Saturday.

Yuka Chokyu of Vancouver, a two-time Paralympian including Paris 2024, competes in women’s WH1 singles. Also on the squad are William Roussy of Ste-Marie, Que., Rishad Sharma of Fort St. John, B.C., Colleen Cloetta, Émilien Langelier, Anthony Hay and Justin Kendrick, all of Montreal, and Wyatt Lightfoot of Regina.

For up to date results visit The International Badminton Federation website.

Canada’s national wheelchair rugby team in Europe

Meanwhile Wheelchair Rugby Canada announced its roster for the 2026 Musholm Cup set for February 15-18 in Korsor, Denmark. The Canadians are preparing this year for the world championships this August in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The 12-player roster includes 2024 Paralympians Cody Caldwell of Peterborough, Ont., Matt Debly of Windsor, Ont., Rio Kanda Kovac and Travis Murao, both of Toronto, and Anthony Létourneau of Boisbriand, Que.

Veteran Fabien Lavoie of Quebec City, who underwent heart surgery before Paris, returns to the team while Canada’s top woman player Mélanie Labelle of St-Hubert, Que., also made the cut for Denmark.

‘’This is an exciting year for our program,’’ said Canada’s head coach Trevor Hirschfield. ‘’We’re headed to Denmark to play against quality competition and it’s a great opportunity for this roster to gain experience and grow together as we make our push towards worlds.’’

Canada, sixth at the 2024 Paralympics, faces Denmark, Colombia and Brazil at the tournament.

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The Toronto Cup wheelchair basketball tournament starts Friday

From February 13-15, the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre will host the 2026 Toronto Cup. That tournament brings together Canada’s senior national team and NextGen wheelchair basketball athletes for three days of high-level competition.

Twelve Paralympians will be spread out among five teams at the tournament with the first game set for 8:30 a.m. this Friday and concludes Sunday with the final at 11 a.m. All games are free and open to the public.