Canada doesn't have a big population. The question should be : how come the Americans are so bad with badminton? I think today's badminton pro circuit does not fit the north american mentality. It would have to be closer to the way tennis is organized to grow significantly. But in Europe badminton is growing fast. I think in about 5 to 10 years there would be more European players enjoying success on the circuit.
Like I said, it's due to us North Americans having such vast open spaces for hockey rinks, football/baseball/soccer stadiums, where many spectators can watch a few pros play. These sports have become popular over time here. Whereas badminton is the opposite, where many pros play but fewer spectators can watch, simply due to the smaller projectile and playing area. Fewer spectators mean less commercialization opportunity, so less TV exposure, less $$, less interest, etc. Compare this to another more popular racket sport, tennis.
As I can recall, the only Olympic host nation who didn't win any gold or is 1976 Montreal Olympic. Is not to say a laid-back but less sport minded nation I guess. Canada in many aspects is similar culture and geographic as Australia. But in sport achievement Australia is slightly above. We only talking about sport achievement here don't get me wrong. But Canada today is very different to Canada 1976, the demographic make up of the nation is so different.
