Badminton History

It had twice been an Olympic demonstration sport, in 1972 and 1988, finally becoming fully-fledged in 1992, thanks in a large part to the tireless efforts of Britain's Sir Craig Reedie, a former chairman of the International Badminton Federation.

The sport has proved immensely popular with television viewers in Asia, helping boost the Olympic Movement. Its popularity is no surprise as of 76 medals that have so far been awarded 69 have gone to Asian players (or 70 if you count Mia Audina, who changed her nationality from Indonesian to Dutch).

Technical

Badminton is a relatively simple game, that has been made even simpler in the last few years.

The basics are a net that’s 5ft high in the middle; a shuttlecock made of goose feathers; and a racket that is usually made of carbon-fibre with perhaps a bit of titanium thrown in, and weighs no more than 100 grams.

Matches are decided over three games.

You can score on any shot (it used to be only when you were serving) and games are won by reaching 21 points (not 15 or 11 as it used to be).

If it goes to 20-all, it’s the first player or pair to have a two-point cushion who wins, and just to stop it going on all night, if it reaches 29-all it’s the first to reach 30 who takes the game.

The Major Players

China are the sport's powerhouses, having won 30 of the 76 medals that have been awarded so far. This includes 11 gold medals. They are closely challenged by their Asian rivals, South Korea and Indonesia, who have both six gold medals each.

Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen has the singular distinction of being the only non-Asian to win a title, the Dane taking the men’s singles in 1996. British players have won two medals in the mixed doubles; Simon Archer and Jo Goode winning a bronze in 2000, and Gail Emms and Nathan Robertson a silver in 2004.

Bluffer's guide

While contemporary badminton first appeared in the mid-19th century, it evolved from the game battledore and shuttlecock, which can be traced back to ancient Greece, China, Japan and India.

Useless Information

Shuttlecock feathers are apparently always plucked from the left wing of the goose.