Badminton is played widely around the world. But still, very little knowledge is available to most people. Many badminton players might not know these amazing facts about badminton that we are going to cover in this article. So, get ready to learn some shocking facts about my favorite sport – badminton.
1. Badminton Shuttlecock – Fastest Object in Sports
The Badminton shuttlecock is considered the fastest object in sports. It is known to achieve the highest speed of 493 km/hr. This high point was achieved by Malaysian badminton player Tan Boon Hoeng.
2. Invention of Shuttlecock
There’s no single inventor of the shuttlecock. Its first sightings updated back to the ancient civilizations of China, Greece, and India. The modern shuttlecock design was finalized in England in the 19th century.
3. Popularity of Badminton in Asia
Badminton is believed to have originated in India during British colonial times. The game spread throughout Asia from there. That’s why badminton is so popular in Asia.
4. First Name of Badminton
Badminton was first known as ‘Poona’ or ‘Poonah’. This is derived from the name of the town of Pune in India. This is where the first rules of badminton were set by the British officers.
5. Average Height of Pro Badminton Players
The average height of professional male badminton players is 5 feet 11 inches (179.1 cm), and that of female players is 5 feet 6 inches (167.8 cm).
6. Calories Burnt in Professional Matches
On average, a badminton player can typically burn 500 to 700 calories in a match of 1 hour. Of course, this is just a range. The actual calorie count can vary based on the intensity of the match, the player’s playing style, and their body weight.
7. Shuttlecock Used in International Matches
In international badminton matches, feather shuttlecocks are used. These shuttlecocks are typically made from 16 feathers from a goose or duck. They have a cork base. Yonex is the most commonly used brand, particularly its high-quality shuttlecocks like the Yonex Aerosensa 50.
8. Service Too High is a Fault
When you serve the shuttlecock, it should be below your waste when the racket makes contact with it. If the shuttlecock is above your waist or more than 1.15 meters from the ground when it makes contact, then it is considered a fault.
9. Other Names of Badminton
Badminton was known by other names like ‘Poona’, ‘Poonah’, and ‘battledore and shuttlecock’ in ancient times.
10. Badminton as a National Sport
Did you know that badminton is the national sport of Indonesia? Even though it originated in India, that country’s national sport is not badminton.
11. Racket Grips Thinner than Tennis
The grips of badminton rackets are thinner than tennis rackets to allow for faster hand movement and maneuverability.
12. Shuttlecocks Weigh as Much as a Penny
Shuttlecocks that are used in professional badminton games weigh around 4.7 to 5.5 grams. That is roughly the weight of a penny. That’s why you can say shuttlecocks weigh as much as a penny.
13. Badminton has Royal Roots
The game of badminton got its name from the Badminton House which was the state of the Duke of Beaufort in England. This is where the sport was first codified in the 1800s.
14. Badminton is a Paralympic Sport
Badminton is one of the few sports that is part of the Paralympic Games. The Paralympics is a periodic series of international sports events in which all the athletes have some kind of disability.
15. Most Prestigious Prize in Badminton
The most prestigious prizes in badminton are the Thomas Cup for men’s teams and the Uber Cup for women’s teams.
16. Badminton is for All Ages
People of all ages, right from children to elderly, can play badminton with ease. Even though it can get very competitive, playing with someone in your age group can give you a fair game.
17. Shuttlecocks are Reused
Used shuttlecocks are not thrown away! Recreational players often reuse them until they become worn or damaged. However, that might be true for shuttlecocks used in professional badminton matches.
18. Electronics for Line Calls
In a badminton match, a line call is the determination of whether a shuttlecock landed in or out of the bounds of the court. Usually, judges are placed at different lines to take the line call. But nowadays, electronic line calling systems are used for professional matches.
19. Longest Badminton Rally
The longest badminton rally in a competitive badminton game is 211 shots. This was played between Malaysian badminton players Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan and Japan’s badminton players Rena Miyaura and Ayako Sakuramoto at the Malaysia Masters 2023 badminton tournament in Kuala Lumpur. This rally lasted for over 3 minutes.
20. Gutta-Percha Shuttlecocks
In the earlier ages, when synthetic materials were not developed, shuttlecocks were made from Gutta-Percha. It is a natural latex material derived from trees.
21. Badminton Entered Olympics
Badminton became an official Olympic sport at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. It had only four events – men’s and women’s singles and men’s and women’s doubles. The mixed doubles event was added later at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
22. First Badminton Club
The first dedicated badminton club was formed in 1877 in India. It was called the Bath Badminton Club. This club rewrote the informal rules coined in Pune. These rewritten rules established the framework for modern-day badminton.
23. Oldest Badminton Governing Bodies
The Badminton Association of England (BAE), established in 1893, and the Badminton Association of India (BAI), established in 1899, are the oldest badminton governing bodies in the world.
24. Oldest Badminton Tournament in the World
The All England Open Badminton Championships, also known as the All England Open, is the oldest and most prestigious badminton tournament in the world. It has been held annually since 1899.
25. Wooden Badminton Rackets
Before metals were developed, badminton rackets were made from a single piece of wood. The strings of these rackets were made from animal gut. The handle was wrapped with a cloth to give comfort to the player.
26. Popularity of Badminton
Badminton is played by an estimated 339 million people worldwide. That makes it one of the most popular sports in the world. In fact, badminton is the second most popular sport in the world, after soccer.
27. Longest Badminton Match
The longest badminton match lasted for 124 minutes. It was played at the 1997 IBF World Championships between Peter Rasmussen from Denmark and Sun Jun from China.
28. Most Badminton Courts in an Academy
Gurukul’s Sports Academy holds the world record for the Worldwide Book of Records for having the highest number of badminton courts in a single academy. It has a total of 32 courts.
29. Change in Scoring System
Until 2006, the badminton scoring system was of 3 games of 15 points each. But in 2006, it was changed to 2 games of 21 points each.
30. First Broadcast on TV
The first Olympic badminton match broadcasted on TV was at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. It was a women’s doubles match between Gill Clark and Julie Bradbury of England versus Rosiana Tendean and Erma Sulistianingsih of Indonesia. This match had 150 million viewers, and the eight-day inaugural badminton competition was watched by an estimated 1.1 billion viewers around the world.
31. Shortest Badminton Match
The shortest badminton match was played between Ra Kyung-min of South Korea and Julia Mann of England. It lasted for 6 minutes. This was played at the 1996 Uber Cup, which took place in Hong Kong on 19 May 1996.
32. Longest Badminton Marathon
The longest badminton marathon was played by Bartlomiej Szczerba and Janusz Stachon-Gol from Poland. It lasted for 26 hours, 28 minutes, and 20 seconds. It was played in Zakopane, Poland, from 27 to 28 September 2019.
33. World’s Largest Shuttlecock
A giant 18-foot-tall badminton shuttlecock placed on the lawn of the Kansas City Museum is the world’s largest shuttlecock. It is made from aluminum and fiberglass, and it weighs about 3 tons. It was made by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen.
34. Badminton in Commonwealth
Badminton was part of the Commonwealth Games long before it entered the Olympics. It was first included in the Commonwealth Games in 1996 in Jamaica. Only 11 countries participated that year.
35. Most Hits in 1 Minutes
The most hits in 1 minute were achieved by Greg Mairs and Jenny Moore from the United Kingdom in Milton Keynes. They succeeded in achieving 161 hits in 1 minute.
36. Number 1 Ranking for Most Consecutive Weeks
Lee Chong Wei from Malaysia holds the record of number 1 ranking in men’s singles for most consecutive weeks. He held the ranking for 199 consecutive weeks.
37. Shuttlecock Feathers Only From the Left Wing
The feathers used to make a shuttlecock for badminton are obtained only from the left wing of a goose. The left-wing is known to spin in a clockwise direction when it is smashed, and that’s good for the aerodynamics of the shuttlecock. Whereas the right wing spins in a counter clockwise direction when it is smashed. That can throw the shuttlecock off its route. That’s why only the left-wing feathers are used.
38. Adjust Speed by Tipping Feathers
Players who want to change the speed of a shuttlecock tip its feathers. When you tip them inwards, the shuttlecock gains speed. If you tip them outwards, the shuttlecock slows down.
39. Number of Shuttlecocks Used
In an average international badminton match, 15 to 20 shuttlecocks are used if the match ends in two sets. 10 more shuttlecocks are used if a third set is played.
40. Shuttlecock Flips in Milliseconds
Researchers have found that after a shuttlecock comes in contact with the racket, it flips over after about 20 milliseconds. Then, around 100 milliseconds later, it becomes perfectly aligned in its new direction.
41. World’s Best Badminton Player 2024
The honor of being the world’s best badminton player in 2024 is bagged by Viktor Axelsen of Denmark. He is ranked number one in the men’s single category with a BWF ranking of 98,715.
42. Badminton is More Intense Than Tennis
Even though a tennis match lasts longer than a badminton match, badminton is more intense than tennis. It can be determined because the match intensity, number of rallies, number of shots played per rally, and the distance covered by the shuttlecock are statistically higher in badminton as compared to tennis.
43. Badminton Was Played With Feet
In China, a game called To Zian Ji is very similar to badminton. But instead of rackets, shuttlecocks are hit with players’ feet. This game is still played in some parts of China.
44. Badminton International Governing Body
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the international governing body for badminton. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee.
45. Number of Feathers in Shuttlecock
There are a total of 16 feathers in each shuttlecock. All of these are attached to a cork. These feathers are taken from the left wing of a goose. All feathers aren’t necessarily from the same goose.
46. Limited Winners of the Thomas Cup
The Thomas Cup was first held in 1948. Ever since then, only 6 countries have managed to win it. Those are:
● China – 11 times
● India – 1 time
● Malaysia – 5 times
● Denmark – 1 time
● Indonesia – 14 times
● Japan – 1 time
47. Limited Winners of the Uber Cup
The Uber Cup was first held in 1956. Ever since then, only 5 countries have managed to win it. Those are:
● China – 16 times
● South Korea – 2 times
● Japan – 6 times
● Indonesia – 3 times
● United States – 3 times
48. Late Popularity of Badminton in the United States
Badminton was first played in the United States in the 1890s. But it did not become popular for at least 60 years.
49. Badminton Was Played With a Wool Ball
In the 1850s, badminton was played using a wool ball of yellow color. This was mostly played in India and was called ball badminton.
50. Shuttlecock is a Birdie
The shuttlecock was earlier known as a birdie. This name is still used by many badminton players. But it is not the official name of this sports equipment.
51. Unique Scoring System
Badminton matches are played in 3 sets. The first player/team to win 2 out of the 3 sets wins the match. To win a set, the player/team has to gain 21 points, but they need to be in the lead with 2 points. If you don’t have a lead of 2 points, your score is not considered for the win.
52. Sudden-Death Round
Did you know that there’s a round called the sudden death round in badminton? If a set reaches 29 all for both sides, the game goes into the sudden death round. Now, the first player/team to miss a point loses that set.
53. First Official Game
Badminton has been played unofficially for ages. But the first known official game was organised and played at the town of Badminton in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom. It was played on the property of the Duke of Beaufort.
54. Prize of Half a Million
In the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super Series, the winning prize per event is $500,000.
55. U and G on Rackets
On standard badminton rackets, you will find markings of U and G. These refer to the weight of the racket and its length, respectively.
Conclusion
Weren’t these truly amazing? We play a sport regularly yet know so little about it. It’s information like this that expands our horizons. I hope you enjoyed learning these did you know facts about badminton. And if you know a fact that’s interesting and I missed it, please point it out.
