(no subject)
Anna Yousef
June 6, 2005
Badminton was invented very long ago; a form of sport played in ancient Greece and Egypt. Badminton came from a child's game called battledore and shuttlecock, in which two players hit a feathered shuttlecock back and forth with tiny rackets. The game was called "POONA" in India during the 18th Century, and British Army Officers stationed there took the Indian version back to England in the 1860's.However, the new game was launched there at a party given in 1873 by the Duke if Beaufort at his country place, “Badminton” in Gloucestershire. As the sport had no name at that time, but it was referred to as “The Game of Badminton” Badminton became its official name.
Until 1887 the sport was played in England under the rules that prevailed in India. When a small army of Badminton players formed the Bath Badminton Club, the rules were standardized and drawn up in 1887, still guide the sport. In 1895, the Badminton Association of England was formed to take over the authority of the Bath Badminton Club, and the new group made rules, which now govern the game throughout the world. Badminton quickly spread from England to the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and made big strides in Europe. Although men first played it, women became enthusiastic about it, and interest now is about equally divided. The sport became so popular that in 1934, the International Badminton Federation was organized with nine members - Canada, Denmark, England, France, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales. Membership grew steadily year after year.
The first All-England championship for men was held in 1899 and in 1900 the pioneer tournament for women was arranged. However, these were regarded as "unofficial" and 1904 marked the beginning of the official All-England matches. The Thomas Cup competition was first played in the 1948-49 season and the first Uber Cup tournament was held during the 1956-57 season. Since then, the number of world events has increased to seven, with the addition of the Uber Cup (ladies' team), World Championships, Sudirman Cup (mixed team), World Juniors, World Grand Prix Finals and the World Cup. Badminton was first contested as an official Olympic sport at the 1992 Olympic in Barcelona, Spain.
Badminton is a familiar and well-liked sport in the US, but it is a fun game in the back yard or on the beach. The Atlanta Olympics started to raise the sport's profile in the US. The event was a sell-out and became one of the must see sports. Ex-President Jimmy Carter, Chelsea Clinton, Princess Anne and Paul Newman were among the celebrities who came to watch. David Broder of the Washington Post also came.
1996 was a landmark in American badminton. It's not only the Atlanta Olympic Games that started to generate massive interest in the American market. In December 1995 the IBF introduced a brand new tournament in California, the Hong Ta Shan Cup; a men's invitational event with top players and big prize money. That year there are plans to add a women's event and to increase the prize money still further - a real Christmas present for players and American spectators. The Hongtashan Group has gone on to sponsor the US Open, increasing the prize money.
The rate of change is increasing. Badminton's debut as an Olympic sport has clearly boosted interest internationally. The STAR TV deal has increased the sport's coverage. Sponsors and television companies are increasingly attracted to a sport which gives them access to the Asian economies.
Playing badminton is a lot like playing tennis, it is played one on one or in doubles. Play is begun by a toss usually of the bird; the toss winner(s) can choose to serve first or they can choose which side of the court to play on. The other person or pair makes the other selection. When a player or pair successfully keeps the opponent(s) from returning the bird, they win the rally. This wins them the serve, or a point if they already had the serve. Typically, men's singles, men's and women's doubles and mixed doubles matches are played to the best two out of three games to 15 points, while women's singles are played to the best two out of three to 11 points.
The object of this active game is for each player to keep the shuttlecock in constant play once it has been served. The player who serves the shuttlecock continues to serve until a fault is made by his or her own team. A fault can be called if the shuttlecock lands outside of the boundary lines, does not pass over the top of the net, is not returned over the net, or is not struck with a racquet before it falls on the ground. If the server's team makes the fault, then the serve immediately switches over to the opposing team. But, the opposing team does not score a point. Only the server or his or her team can score. If the opposing player or team commits the fault, then the server's team gains a point. The first player, if you are playing single matches, or the first two-person team, if you are playing doubles, to reach twenty-one points wins the match.Another rule of the game of badminton is that the shuttlecock is always served from the right side of the playing area, or court, as it is often known as.
Professionally-played badminton entails more complicated rules, but the above-listed rules are enough for a back yard match. The equipment changes somewhat too, from a backyard match to a professional game. One such difference is that the shuttlecock in a store-bought game is usually made from molded plastic. A regulation shuttlecock is made from cork with exactly sixteen real feathers attached to it.
Some interesting facts include: A form of badminton was played in ancient Greece and Egypt. But it wasn't called badminton then. In India, the game was called poona. Elsewhere it was called either battledore or shuttlecock. British Army officers stationed in India in the 1860s took the game back to England. In 1873, it was played at a party given by the Duke of Beaufort at his Gloucestershire estate, which was called Badminton. So it came to be called "the Badminton game."
Badminton is played in singles games, male or female, but is also played as a doubles and mixed doubles game. The game is played to 15 points, except ladies singles which is played to 11 points. It is the third-most popular participant sport in the world, after fishing and soccer. It became an Olympic sport in 1992.
An ordinary badminton shuttle also called a shuttlecock or bird, contains 14 to 16 feathers from geese, ducks, and even chickens in some parts of the world but also could be made of plastic. The shuttle is about 6,4cm (2-and-a-half inches) tall and weighs 73-85 grains (4.74-5.50 grams). It is one of the fastest objects in sport, easily travelling at 180 km/h (112 mph). It has been clocked at an amazing 289 km/h (180 mph), making it second fastest only to Jai-Alai, a sport that originated in the Basque country. In 1979, Guiness World Records recorded a player throwing the Jai-Alai pelota at 302,5 km/h (188 mph).