Listing some of the strangest facts about badminton
Badminton is a popular sport and one of the most entertaining as well. Among racquet sports, badminton is the fastest. One needs quick reflexes, great composure and a sharp mind to excel. The game has developed a strong fan base over the years as many unbreakable records got scripted by the players. Here we list the strangest facts about badminton.
Shortest badminton match lasted six minutes
The shortest badminton match, ever played, lasted for only six minutes. Ra Kyung-min of South Korea tamed England's Julia Mann 11-2, 11-1 at the 1996 Uber Cup in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, the longest match in badminton lasted 124 minutes. It was played between Peter Rasmussen (Denmark) and Sun Jun (China). Rasmussen sealed the match 16-17, 18-13, 15-10.
Facts about the shuttlecock
As mentioned earlier, badminton is regarded as the world's fastest racquet sport because the shuttle can clock speeds in excess of 200 mph. An average shuttlecock weighs between 4.74 to 5.5 grams. The feathers made from the left wing of a goose are considered to be the best ones. Another notable fact is that badminton was earlier known as 'shuttlecock'.
Badminton became an Olympic sport in 1992
The first ever official badminton game was played in the stately home in Gloucestershire in England. It is also the home of the Duke of Beaufort. The sport was introduced in USA back in the 1890s. It took the game at least least 60 years to get popular. Badminton was added in the Olympics in 1992 edition. Since then, Asian players have dominated proceedings.
Second most popular game in the world
One of the strangest facts about badminton is that it's the second most popular sport in the world after football. The 1992 Olympic badminton final was watched by more than 1.1 billion people on their television sets.
Here are some of the other facts as well
The first ever official Badminton Club was established in 1877. The club was called 'The Bath Badminton Club'. Earlier, strings used in a racquet were from guts made from the dried stomach lining of animals like cats or cows. Although, players these days use synthetic strings largely. Also, over 150 nations are registered under the International Badminton Federation.
