Badminton

Badminton was invented in India. It was adopted by English soldiers there in the 19th century, who brought the game to Great Britain and eventually to many other countries. The game was originally called “Poona”. The new sport took hold in England when it was exhibited there in 1873, at a party given by the Duke of Beaufort at his country estate, “Badminton”, in Gloucestershire.

Badminton was contested as a demonstration sport at the 1972 Olympic Games in München. After 1972, it did not appear at the Olympics until its début at Barcelona 1992 as a full medal sport. This was then an unusual mode of entry into the Olympics, as sports were usually added after several demonstration appearances.

At the Olympics, men and women compete in singles and doubles, and there is a mixed doubles event. The International Badminton Federation (IBF) was formed on 5 July 1934 in London with nine members – Canada, Denmark, England, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales – to govern the sport internationally. The organization was renamed to Badminton World Federation (BWF) on 24 September 2006, and has 201 members (including 11 associate members) as of 2024.

Badminton has been dominated by China, Indonesia, and South Korea, which together have won 96 of the 136 available medals through 2024, and 37 of 44 gold medals. Gao Ling (CHN) is the only badminton player to have won four Olympic medals, with eight players having won three. Thirteen players have won two gold medals, including Gao Ling. One of these players with two gold medals is Chinese Fu Haifeng, who leads the count on the men’s side, adding a silver medal to his two Olympic titles. Of all these athletes, only one does not come from an Asian country: Viktor Axelsen, from Denmark, who has won two golds and a bronze in the men’s Olympic singles tournaments.