Tolentino, John Carlo C.

BSMA-2A

Brief History of Badminton

Badminton is derived directly from the word “poona” which was played by British army officers stationed in
India in the 1860s. The game is named as “Badminton”, the country estate of the dukes of Beaufort in
Gloucestershire, England where it was first played about 1873.The roots of the sport can be traced to ancient Greece,
China, and India, and it is closely related to the old children’s game battledore and shuttlecock. The Badminton World
Federation (BWF) that was originally known as International Badminton Federation (IBF), is the world governing
body of the sport that was formed during 1934.

In 1899, the first unofficial all-England badminton championships for men were held and after a year, the first
badminton tournament for women was arranged. It was first appeared in Olympic Games in 1972 as a demonstration
sport only. In 1988, it was played as an exhibition sport. It became a full-medal Olympic sport at the 1922 Games as a
competition for men’s and women’s singles (one against one) and doubles (two against two). At the 1996 Games,
mixed doubles were introduced.

Facilities and Equipment of Badminton:

The badminton sport needs facilities which are known as badminton court. The court should be 44 feet long
by 22 feet wide if playing doubles, and 44 feet long by 17 feet wide for singles. If the facility is indoors, there are
needs to be enough height for the shuttlecock to be able to float across the net without hitting the ceiling. This height
will vary depending on the strength of the players.
There is equipment needed in playing badminton, these are: racket, shuttlecock and net.

The badminton racket is one of the most important tools that are much lighter than most other sports rackets
because they are made from materials such as carbon fiber or lighter metals such as aluminum. Parts of the racket
include the head, throat, shaft and handle with a maximum length of 27.77 inches and a width of 9 inches. It strings
are stretched across the opening of the racket in a checkerboard pattern, which acts as the hitting surface.

The badminton shuttlecock, also referred to as a “shuttle or birdie”, was a small cork hemisphere with 16
goose feathers attached and weighing about 0.17 ounce (5 grams). The design of the birdie creates more drag as it is
propelled through the air due to its feathered shape. The shuttlecock is made up of a cone shape with a hard cork at its
tip.

A badminton net or mesh net divides the badminton court into two sides. Badminton net is placed lower than
volleyball net at five feet and one inch high on the sides and five feet high in the center. The length may vary
depending on whether doubles or singles are playing, with singles reaching 17 feet and doubles reaching 22 feet. The
net is 30 inches wide with a 3-inch white tape doubled over the top.