When Did Badminton Enter The Olympics As An Official Sport?
One of the highest honors for any sport is to be included in the Olympics, and badminton gained that position in 1992. Since then, the sport has been an essential component of the Olympic Games, attracting some of the world’s top players and thrilling fans. In this blog, we will look further into the history of when badminton became an official Olympic sport, its journey thus far, and some significant milestones in the sport’s Olympic history. So, let’s get started and answer the burning question, when did badminton enter the Olympics as an official sport?
The Start Of Badminton
Badminton gets its name from Badminton House, located in the English county of Gloucestershire, and is the seat of the Duke of Beaufort. The Duke is credited for bringing back from India a variant of the game called Poona and teaching it to his visitors in 1873. Unlike other net sports, badminton employs a shuttlecock rather than a ball. A shuttlecock is a conical open item made of goose feathers inserted in a circular cork base. This projectile moves at a faster rate than in any other racket sport.
The sport soon gained popularity, and the newly created Bath Badminton Club devised the first set of codified regulations in 1877. The Badminton Federation of England was formed 16 years later, and the inaugural All England Championships were held in 1899 (International Olympic Committee, n.d.).
A match comprises three best-of-three games, with the winner being the first player or couple to achieve 21 points. If the score is 20-20, the team with a two-point lead wins the game. If the difference is less than two points, the game will continue until the two-point difference is reached. If the score reaches 29-all, the team that gets to 30 first wins the game.
The Olympics
At the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, Badminton debuted as a demonstration sport. It was not formally placed on the Olympic program until the 1992 Games in Barcelona, featuring men’s and women’s singles and doubles events. The mixed doubles event debuted in the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996. The number of events has been constant since then.
