Badminton | History & Facts

Exercise 1 : Historic background of badminton

Do you know how badminton came about? It evolved from a 5th century Chinese game that involved kicking a shuttle. A later version of the sport was played in ancient Greece and India with rackets.

British army officers brought a revised type of the game back to Britain from India in the mid-19th century. In 1873, the Duke of Beaufort introduced the game to royalty at his country estate, Badminton House, and the sport became known as badminton. Four years later, the Bath Badminton Club was formed and the game played by its members formed the basis for the game played today. Badminton soon spread beyond Britain to the rest of Europe and to countries around the world. It became especially popular in Asia and North America, where the game was often played. The only major change through the years was in the playing equipment. Lightweight rackets made of aluminium, boron, graphite and titanium gradually replaced wooden ones.

Badminton is played by two or four players. The lightweight rackets are used to hit the shuttlecock. It travels back and forth over a net. The objective of the game is to keep it in the air and to prevent it from hitting the ground. Badminton requires speed, strength and agility. In addition, stamina is important. Some people play badminton outdoors on a level grassy area or beach. However, tournament-level badminton is played indoors on a specially marked court.

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