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YOG
Then & Now: Akane Yamaguchi
10 Jan 2018
London 2012
Petr Koukal: “When I think back to carrying the flag in London, I still get goosebumps.”
02 Nov 2017
RIO 2016
Rio 2016 podiums reflect badminton’s global appeal
20 Sep 2016
RIO 2016
Chen outplays Lee in badminton final
20 Aug 2016
RIO 2016
Carolina Marín: The YOG athlete who became Olympic badminton champion
20 Aug 2016
RIO 2016
Badminton golds for Marin, Fu and Zhang
19 Aug 2016
RIO 2016
Doubles delight for Japanese duo in badminton
18 Aug 2016
RIO 2016
“The only thing you have to do is believe in your dreams”
18 Aug 2016
RIO 2016
Mixed doubles joy for Indonesian pair in badminton
17 Aug 2016
RIO 2016
Lin Dan and the quest for an Olympic hat-trick
02 Jun 2016
RIO 2016
Lin Dan thrills Rio crowd in badminton test event
04 Dec 2015
Nanjing 2014
Badminton in Nanjing: China dominate in singles, while Sri Lanka make history
16 Sep 2014
London 2012
Top seeds stroll to Doubles gold - London 2012 - Badminton
03 Aug 2012
London 2012
Lin through as China guarantees medals - London 2012 - Badminton
03 Aug 2012
London 2012
Sato suffers disappointing exit - London 2012 - Badminton
01 Aug 2012
London 2012
Knockout places taking shape - London 2012 - Badminton
31 Jul 2012
London 2012
Lee taken all the way - London 2012 - Badminton
30 Jul 2012
London 2012
China start in style - London 2012 - Badminton
29 Jul 2012
London 2012
Badminton stars light up London
15 Aug 2011
London 2012
Golden Opportunity - Lin Dan, Badminton
18 Oct 2010
Olympic News
Singapore 2010 adopts new sport formats
12 Aug 2010

Badminton has a cosmopolitan history. The rules of the modern game were developed in England, but it is now Asian countries that dominate the sport.

Badminton House

Badminton takes its name from Badminton House - home of the Duke of Beaufort in the English county of Gloucestershire. In 1873, the Duke is credited with bringing a version of the game – Poona - back from India and introducing it to his guests.

Getting organised

The sport quickly grew in popularity and in 1877 the first set of written rules were devised by the newly formed Bath Badminton Club. The Badminton Federation of England was created 16 years later and in 1899 it organised the first All England Championships.

Olympic history

Badminton made its debut as a demonstration sport at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. It was not until the 1992 Games in Barcelona that it was officially included on the Olympic programme, with men’s and women’s singles and doubles events. The mixed doubles event made its debut in 1996 at the Atlanta Olympic Games. Since then, the number of events has remained unchanged.

Although the creation of modern badminton is attributed to England, it is Asia that now dominates this sport. Between 1992 and 2008, Asian countries won 69 of the 76 medals available in Olympic competition! The dominant countries are China, Indonesia and the Republic of Korea, followed by Great Britain and Denmark.