1. History suggests that the early origins of badminton may be found in a game that was played in ancient China over 2000 years ago. The game was called 'Ti Jian Zi' and involved kicking feathered shuttlecocks to and fro without using rackets.
2. Badminton history in modern times can be traced to the 'Poona game', which was a game that was devised and played by some British officers in the 1860s when they were stationed at the city of 'Poona' in India. (The city is now known as Pune).
3. Battledore and Shuttlecock, a traditional game played in England was somewhat similar to badminton, and in that game battledores (paddles/bats) were used to hit the shuttlecocks. There was no net between the players in battledore. In mainland Europe Battledore was known by its French name 'jeu de volant'.
4. Likewise the history of badminton may also have it roots in the game of 'ball badminton' which is a native sport of India that was played as early as in 1856 by the royal family in Tanjore in Tamil Nadu in India. The game involves hitting a yellow ball of wool with rackets on a court divided by a net.
5. Badminton got its name from the 'The Badminton house' in Gloucestershire County of England, which was the home of the Duke of Bueufort who helped to popularize the game. British officers who had returned to the county played a game of 'Poona' at the 'Badminton house' and it was soon became a favorite of the British elite class.
Badminton History - Important Dates/ Years
1873: A game of 'Poona' was first played at the 'Badminton house' of Duke Beaufort
1893: First set of rules were formalised.
1899: The first International 'All England' badminton tournament was held.
1934: International Badminton Federation (IBF) was formed
1936: India joined IBF as an affiliate, and Australia and United States not long after that.
1949: The first Thomas Cup for men (named after the first IBF president Sir George Thomas) was played.
1956: The first Uber Cup for ladies played.
1972: Badminton was a demonstration sport at the Munich Olympics
1977: The first World Badminton Championship was held.
1988: Badminton was again played as an exhibition sport at the Seoul Olympics
1992: Badminton was finally included as medal events from the 1992 Barcelona olympics.
1996: Mixed doubles was introuduced at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
The sport of badminton thus has a long and fascinating history. It has fast spread to all parts of the globe now, and the future of badminton certainly looks very bright!
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