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History of Badminton
History of Badminton
Badminton first originated in India during the 18th century where it was
called "Poona". It was played by that name until the 1870's. Our modern day
version of the game came from England. It was introduced by the British Army
officers as an upper class amusement. The English played the game of
Badminton, the Hometown of the Duke of Beaufort in Gloucestershire, England.
Hence, the name badminton became the official name of the game.
Records describe the game with wooden paddles and a shuttlecock being
played in Ancient China, on the Royal court of England. In Poland and in India
later in the eighteenth and nineteenth century, a game called "battledore and
shuttlecock", involved hitting a shuttlecock with wooden paddle known as bat or
battledore. The participants were required to keep the shuttle in play as long as
possible. The playing area inside the hall was an hourglass shape narrower at
the middle than the two ends. Badminton was played on this odd shaped court
until 1901. A string was added across the middle of the hall to make a
rudimentary net. The original rules for badminton was standardized in 1887 and
later revised in both 1895 and 1905. These rules still govern the sport today with
minor changes.
NATURE OF THE GAME
Currently, the best players in the world come from China, Europe, Malaysia,
Indonesia and South Korea and dominate competitions on the international level
with China domination in recent years. Indonesian players won both men's and
women's singles at the 1992 Olympics. Indonesians also won four in the five
events in the 1994 World Championships. Badminton is presently the numbers
one sport in Great Britain. The immediate future for both professional and
amateur badminton players appear to be very bright.