badminton, court or lawn game

played with
lightweight rackets and
a shuttlecock. Historically, the
shuttlecock (also known as a
“bird” or “birdie”) was a
small cork hemisphere with 16
goose feathers attached and
weighing about 0.17 ounce (5
grams). These types of shuttles
may still be used in modern play,
but shuttles made
from synthetic materials are also
allowed by the Badminton World Federation. The game is named
for 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.
Badminton is derived directly from poona, which was played by British army
officers stationed in India in the 1860s. The first unofficial all-England
badminton championships for men were held in 1899, and the first
badminton tournament for women was arranged the next year.

The game of Poona

Badminton has its origins in
the city of Poona, India. It is
believed to have been
developed by the British
during the early 19th
century. Initially, the game
was known as “pung-pon”
and was played with two
wooden paddles and a
shuttlecock. Over time, the game evolved and was played with a racquet
and a feathered shuttlecock. The game eventually spread throughout India
and is now a popular sport in the country.
 The Badminton World
Federation (BWF; originally the
International Badminton
Federation), the world governing
body of the sport, was formed in
1934. Badminton is also popular
in Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan,
and Denmark. The BWF’s first
world championships were held
in 1977. A number of regional,
national, and zonal badminton tournaments are held in several countries.
The best-known of these is the All-England Championships. Other well-
known international tournaments include the Thomas Cup (donated 1939)
for men’s team competition and the Uber Cup (donated 1956) for women’s
team competition.
Badminton first appeared in the Olympic Games as a demonstration sport
in 1972 and as an exhibition sport in 1988. At the 1992 Games it became a
full-medal Olympic sport, with competition for men’s and women’s singles
(one against one) and doubles (two against two). Mixed doubles was
introduced at the 1996 Games.

Competitive badminton is usually played indoors because even light winds

affect the course of the shuttlecock. (Recreational badminton, on the other
hand, is a popular outdoor summertime activity.) The rectangular court is
44 feet (13.4 metres) long and 17 feet (5.2 metres) wide for singles, 20 feet
(6.1 metres) wide for doubles. A net 5 feet (1.5 metres) high stretches
across the width of the court at its centre. A clear space of 4 feet (1.3
metres) around the court is needed. Play consists entirely of volleying—
hitting the shuttlecock back and forth across the net without letting it touch
the floor or ground within the boundaries of the court.

In international play, athletes compete in best-of-three-games matches. A

game is played to 21 points, provided that the winner has at least a 2-point
advantage. If a 2-point advantage is never reached, the first player or team
to score 30 points wins. Points were only awarded to the serving side until
2006, when the BWF adopted the “rally scoring” system, under which either
side can score at any time.