Badminton

History:

Badminton developed from a game called "Poone", which was very popular in India in the 19th century.

An Englishman, John Loraine Baldwin, created the rules of the modern game and named the new sport after Badminton House, where he - and many other visitors – had enjoyed playing a game involving 'battledores', shuttlecocks and a net in the Great Hall.

Badminton quickly caught on in the UK in the 19th century. Today it is one of the most popular sports in the world, both in terms of participation and spectator numbers.

Rules:

The court badminton is played on is 13.4 metres(44 feet) long and 5.18 metres (17feet) wide and divided in half by a net approximately 1.5m (5 ft.) high.

The purpose of the game is to hit the shuttlecock over the net and either land it in the opponent’s half of the court, or have them hit it into the net or out of the court.

A match is the best of three games, played to 21 points.

Badminton at the Olympics First appearance of badminton at the Games was in Munich 1972 but it became a full medal sport only 20 years later, at the Barcelona 1992 Games.

Badminton is still most popular in its heartlands of Europe and Asia. Dominant forces in the sport are Indonesia, Korea and China.

Facts about Badminton:

Shuttlecocks made from the feathers of a goose's left wing are thought to be the best.

A shuttlecock can travel at speeds of 200mph.

At least 1.1bn people watched the first Olympic Badminton tournament on TV.

The world's biggest shuttlecock, which is 48 times the size of those used at the Olympic Games, can be found at the Kansas City Museum.

Tian Zian Ji (or 'Shuttlecick') was a version of Badminton played with the feet in 5th century China.