History of the Game of Badminton
Badminton has a surprisingly long history given its relatively recent introduction onto the Olympic scene.
Like so many popular modern sports, the game of badminton evolved from older games.
Badminton’s origins can be traced back at least 2,500 years to China in the 5th century BC.
The ancient Chinese played a game called Ti Jian Zi, which had a shuttlecock, but no racket. The game involved people kicking the shuttlecock around with their feet!
By the 1600s it had evolved into a popular children's past time called Battledore and Shuttlecock, and was played widely
throughout China, India, Japan and Greece. Feet had been replaced by the battledore as the way to move a shuttlecock around. But the game was still a game in its purest form, being non-competitive, with all players working together to keep the shuttlecock in the air as long as possible.
The game was called "Poona" in India during the 18th Century, and British Army Officers stationed there and they took a competitive Indian version back to England in the 1860's where it was played at country houses as an upper class amusement.
Isaac Spratt, a London toy dealer published a booklet, "Badminton Battledore - a new game" in 1860, but unfortunately no copy has survived.
Badminton took its name from Badminton House in Gloucestershire, the home of the Duke of Beaufort, where the sport was played in the last century in 1873.
During that time, the game was referred to as "The Game of Badminton”.
Until 1887 the sport was played in England under the rules that prevailed in India.
The Bath Badminton Club standardized the rules and made the game applicable to English ideas.
The basic regulations were drawn up in 1887.
However, in 1893, the Badminton Association of England published the first set of rules according to these regulations, similar to that of today, and officially launched badminton in a house called "Dunbar" at 6 Waverley Grove, Portsmouth, England on September 13 of that year.
They also started the All England Open Badminton Championships, the first badminton competition in the world, in 1899.
The Badminton World Federation, (BWF), was founded in 1934 with nine members - Canada, Denmark, England, France, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales.
The BWF now governs international badminton and develops the sport globally.
The first world championship tournament was planned in 1939, but was cancelled because of World War II, and was delayed
until 1949.
Badminton was first seen at the Olympics in 1972 as a demonstration sport, and then an exhibition sport at the 1988 Olympics. In 1992, it was added to the Olympic program with singles and doubles competition for men and women, with mixed doubles added in 1996.
Like so many popular modern sports, the game of badminton evolved from older games.
Badminton’s origins can be traced back at least 2,500 years to China in the 5th century BC.
The ancient Chinese played a game called Ti Jian Zi, which had a shuttlecock, but no racket. The game involved people kicking the shuttlecock around with their feet!
By the 1600s it had evolved into a popular children's past time called Battledore and Shuttlecock, and was played widely
throughout China, India, Japan and Greece. Feet had been replaced by the battledore as the way to move a shuttlecock around. But the game was still a game in its purest form, being non-competitive, with all players working together to keep the shuttlecock in the air as long as possible.
The game was called "Poona" in India during the 18th Century, and British Army Officers stationed there and they took a competitive Indian version back to England in the 1860's where it was played at country houses as an upper class amusement.
Isaac Spratt, a London toy dealer published a booklet, "Badminton Battledore - a new game" in 1860, but unfortunately no copy has survived.
Badminton took its name from Badminton House in Gloucestershire, the home of the Duke of Beaufort, where the sport was played in the last century in 1873.
During that time, the game was referred to as "The Game of Badminton”.
Until 1887 the sport was played in England under the rules that prevailed in India.
The Bath Badminton Club standardized the rules and made the game applicable to English ideas.
The basic regulations were drawn up in 1887.
However, in 1893, the Badminton Association of England published the first set of rules according to these regulations, similar to that of today, and officially launched badminton in a house called "Dunbar" at 6 Waverley Grove, Portsmouth, England on September 13 of that year.
They also started the All England Open Badminton Championships, the first badminton competition in the world, in 1899.
The Badminton World Federation, (BWF), was founded in 1934 with nine members - Canada, Denmark, England, France, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales.
The BWF now governs international badminton and develops the sport globally.
The first world championship tournament was planned in 1939, but was cancelled because of World War II, and was delayed
until 1949.
Badminton was first seen at the Olympics in 1972 as a demonstration sport, and then an exhibition sport at the 1988 Olympics. In 1992, it was added to the Olympic program with singles and doubles competition for men and women, with mixed doubles added in 1996.