By Nanthana Sureshkumar
Are you looking for a new sport to play during your quarantine? Look no further than badminton. Badminton is a great hobby to take up if one is bored. Since many people are looking to stay fit during the quarantine, badminton is great in terms of exercising your legs and arms. Indeed, to strike the ball back and forth, you need strong upper body strength. Sometimes, you have to run around the court to get the shuttlecock, which requires one to be quick on their feet.
Badminton was originally considered to be an upper-class sport in 1600s England, but over time, it has evolved so that anyone and everyone can play it. The game started with simply two people hitting a shuttlecock back and forth with a bat as much as they could without having the “ball” hit the ground. The modern version of badminton is traced back to mid 19th century British India. It was created by the British military officers who were stationed there. A net was also added to the traditional English game of battledore and shuttlecock. Since the game was popular in a town named Poona, it was also known in the area as “Poona” or “Poonai”.
Badminton was named forBadminton,the country estate where the game was played for the first time in 1873. Badminton eventually gained popularity not only in India but also in Europe with the first open badminton tournament, which was held at Guildford, England in 1898.
Historically, the shuttlecock, which is also known as a bird or birdie, was a small cork hemisphere with 16 goose feathers which weighed about 0.17 ounces or 5 grams. Sometimes, those shuttles are used in modern play but shuttles that are made from synthetic materials are also allowed by the Badminton World Federation.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF), the world’s governing body for the sport, was formed in 1943 and the first championship set up by BWF was held in 1977. Many other regional and national tournaments are held in several different countries. The most well known of these tournaments is the All England Championships. Others include the Thomas Cup for men and Uber Cup for women. The Badminton World Federation introduced in 2007 the Badminton Super Series as a way to further the sport.
Eventually, badminton became so popular that it was incorporated into the Olympics, the world’s most-watched and celebrated sports competition. A sport that not many had knowledge or even played at one point had become so popular that it became a sport included in the Olympics. Badminton first appeared in the Olympic games as a demonstration sport in 1972. According to Encyclo, a demonstration sport is a sport that is played to promote it, most commonly at the Olympics. At the Games in 1992, it became a full medal-winning sport. It had competition for men’s and women’s singles and doubles. Mixed doubles were introduced at the 1996 Olympic games. It is a popular game even today in many countries such as Indonesia, Denmark, Japan, Malaysia, and more. A variant of the game has recently come up in Germany, called Speed Badminton, which you play without a net is gaining more popularity. The name for Speedminton or what one would call speed badminton has been changed to Crossminton as of 2016. Over the span of many years, badminton has evolved from an upper-class English hobby to an Olympic sport that people can play as leisure and is constantly evolving to fit the needs of the players.
References:
“New ContentWithLeftNav.”Team USA,www.teamusa.org/USA-Badminton/USAB/History/Brief-History-of-Badminton.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Badminton.”Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 21 May 2019,https://www.britannica.com/sports/badminton
“A Brief History of Badminton.”Topend Sports, Science, Training and Nutrition,
“History of Badminton and the Development of the Sport.”Master Badminton, 6 Sept. 2016,www.masterbadminton.com/history-of-badminton.html.
“Demonstration Sport - Definition - Encyclo.”Encyclo.co.uk,www.encyclo.co.uk/meaning-of-Demonstration_sport.
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