Be Part of Adam Dong's Paris 2024 Olympic Journey

Adam Dong is organizing this fundraiser.

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THE DREAM

23yrs ago, a boy watched a badminton shuttlecock travel 300km/hr. He didn’t know then, that this sport isn’t just the fastest racquet sport in the world, or one of the most explosive, or strategic, or physically demanding, but you do. I’m sure as you played badminton more, your love for badminton grew, as you started to hit harder, move faster, and you played shot paths you couldn’t even see before. That boy too, wanted to push his limits and play at the highest level of badminton.

Did you know? Every country’s level is different. Some countries are further developed in their badminton growth, like Indonesia, China, Japan, Denmark, England and more. Other countries like Canada and US are younger in our journey. But do you know how close Canada is to those top-level countries? Very close.

Hi, my name is Adam Dong. I am that boy, and I hit harder, move faster, and play smarter than 23yrs ago. I am now on the Canadian Sr. Badminton National team. I wish to take Canada, and North America across that gap to stand at the top of Global Badminton, so that everyone knows Canada is strong in badminton. To do that, we’ll need to show excellent badminton at the 2024 Paris Olympics. I will bust my ass to do that. Will you walk with me on this journey to make us the very best?

THE REALITY

32. That is the BWF World Ranking to qualify for Badminton Super Series 1000 tournaments, the pinnacle of competitions in the badminton world, akin to US Opens in Tennis, Conference Finals leading up to NBA Finals in Basketball. Today, my partner and I are at 33. That is how close we are, Canada is, to being at the world stage.

What many people don’t realize is that athletes really mean it when we say “you mean more to us than you can know.” Do you know the concept of “home court advantage”? It’s when the roaring crowds and thunderous claps and furor ignites our passion and fighting spirit to allow us to transcend normal human limits. We achieved a brief moment of “Ultra Instinct”. That was what helped us reach our current ranking. To win a Gold Medal for Canada at the 2023 Pan American Games on October 25, one of our 4 Badminton Golds, my partner and I pushed past our limits, our physical fatigue, and our mental barriers.

At 7pm October 24, match point 24-23, semi-finals, I closed my eyes and saw all my friends, family, team-mates, and badminton enthusiasts like you cheering me on. It was like picturing a home court advantage of a stadium filled with Canadians, supporters, and friends. And I knew we could not lose. 10am October 25, playing finals for Pan Ams, so much rested on our shoulders. Our cornerstone of taking our best badminton to the Olympics, the hopes and dreams of all of you, my friends and supporters who want to see Canadian Badminton go further, and of all athletes hoping Canada win more golds during this inter-continental quadrennial tournament. My personal goal is the Olympics, but another goal is to break into the top 20—so that when people around the world look for the top world Badminton players, they see Canada, they see us.

THE OBSTACLE

As one supporter aptly puts it “people have no idea what it takes to play at this level, in these types of conditions, and under this amount of pressure, especially in the face of adversity and when things aren’t going your way ... the level of badminton in Pan America has never been higher, and these fellows still [found] a way to get the job done.” Just as diamonds are formed under pressure, every Olympian emerges through trials and obstacles, and no Olympian achieves it alone. We are the product of a community that gathers to support our journey.

To be transparent, as some of you may know, badminton is a costly sport, and lacks strong support in Canada. Training, travelling for tournaments, accommodations and flights add up easily over $50k/yr. That is a full-time job salary when we had to give up and leave our full-time job. Personally, to fund my dream, I took up coaching, saved for years, left a stable job, and even separated from my family of two young children to travel the world for training and competitions. Our progress is undeniable, but the financial, relational, physical, and mental burdens can only be truly understood by those on a similar path.

This is where you come in—your support will enable me to fully concentrate on training and perform at our best in competitions. Canadians lack access to high-level training and sparring like the top Asian and European countries do, but your support will empower us to travel and seek superior training, ultimately shattering our country's limitations.

Any support you can give, whether it be donations, sharing this fundraiser link, or even simply words of encouragement, will be tremendously helpful and greatly appreciated. I pledge to carry all of your hopes, expectations, and take them to the Olympics!

Thank you!