Did you know these interesting facts about badminton
Developed in the mid-19th century in the United Kingdom (UK), badminton is still one of the oldest sports. The game of battledore and shuttlecock, which was played earlier, gave rise to the sport. When men's and women's singles and doubles competitions were held in 1992, badminton became an official Olympic sport. Here are some interesting facts about it.
The shortest and longest badminton matches
The shortest badminton match, ever played, lasted only six minutes. South Korea's Ra Kyung-min defeated Julia Mann of England 11-2, 11-1 in the 1996 Uber Cup in Hong Kong. On the other hand, the 2016 Badminton Asian Championships women's doubles semi-finals between Japan's Kurumi Yonao and Naoko Fukuman and Indonesia's Greysia Polii and Nitya Krishinda Maheswari is the longest match which lasted 161 minutes.
Badminton had many different names
Badminton developed in the mid-19th century among the British as a variant of 'battledore and shuttlecock'. Interestingly, a London toy dealer published a booklet titled 'Badminton Battledore - A New Game' in 1860. By 1870s, it was a popular sport played by the British officers in the Indian garrison town of Poona. Here, the sport was called Poona or Poonah.
Badminton was initially played with balls of wool
Initially, Badminton was played with balls of wool and called 'ball badminton'. This enabled players to play in different conditions. Moreover, the shuttlecocks were coated with Indian rubber. In the outdoors, the shuttlecocks often contained lead.
The first official match
Although badminton was played informally for decades, it is understood that the first official game was organized in Gloucestershire, UK. The game was officially recognized at the estate of the Duke of Beaufort. The Badminton Association of England (BAE), in 1899, started the first badminton competition, the All England Open Badminton Championships for gentlemen's doubles, ladies' doubles, and mixed doubles.
A look at the other interesting facts
The longest badminton rally went on for over four minutes. It ended after a total of 256 shots. It is believed that the feathers of a shuttlecock are sourced from the left wing of a goose. In an average badminton match (international), the shuttle gets struck more than 400 times. It is interesting to note that badminton is the national game of Indonesia.
