The Fun History of Badminton

Anyone for tennis? No? Well, how about a bit of badminton? It'll keep you on your toes because a badminton shuttlecock is the fastest recorded object in sports. Who knew?

While testing out new racket technology, Malaysia’s Tan Boon Hoeng set a new world record back in 2103. He did it with a three hundred and six-mile an hour smash. Learn more intriguing facts in this short history of badminton.

The Basics of Badminton

The game's played on a court with lightweight rackets and a shuttlecock. The shuttlecock can also be referred to as a 'bird' or 'birdie.' Historically, it was a small cork hemisphere with 16 goose feathers attached and weighing about five grams.

The game is named after Badminton, the country estate of the dukes of Beaufort in Gloucestershire, England. This is where it was first played in about 1873.

The roots of the sport can be traced back to ancient Greece, China, and India. It is closely related to an old children’s game, battledore. Badminton is derived directly from poona, a game played by British army officers stationed in India in the 1860s.

1899 saw the first unofficial all-England badminton championships for men. The first badminton tournament for women was arranged the following year.

The History of Badminton in the Past 100 Years

The Badminton World Federation or BWF is the world governing body of the sport. It was formed in 1934.

Badminton is not only popular in the UK but also in Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, and Denmark. The first world championships were held back in 1977.

A number of regional and national tournaments are held in several countries. The most famous is the All-England Championships. Badminton made its first appearance in the Olympic Games as a demonstration sport in 1972.

It became an exhibition sport in 1988. In 1992 in Barcelona, it became a full-medal Olympic sport. There was a men's singles competition as well as women’s singles and doubles. Mixed doubles were introduced at the 1996 Games in Atlanta.

Indoors or Outdoors?

Competitive badminton is normally played indoors. This is because even a light breeze can dramatically affect the course of the shuttlecock. Recreational badminton, on the other hand, is a popular outdoor activity in the summer.

You don't need much. A couple of rackets, a shuttlecock and a washing line would do. It's a great game for the garden.

The professional rectangular court is forty-four feet long and seventeen feet wide for singles. It's twenty feet wide for doubles. The net which stands five feet high stretches across the width of the court at the centre.

A clear space of four feet is required around the court. Play consists entirely of volleying. Players hit the shuttlecock back and forth across the net without letting it touch the ground and within the boundaries of the court.

A Fast and Strenuous Sport

To play badminton well you need to be very fit and agile. The history of badminton is relatively short but it's ranked as the most popular racket game ever in the UK.

Continue reading our blog for more interesting facts from the past such as the history of awards and trophies.