History of Badminton

The history of badminton shows that it had its roots in an old children’s game in England known as battledore and shuttlecock. British Army officers in India played a grown up version of this game. Known in its early days as ‘poona’, it was played with many people who tried to keep the ‘bird’ in air. A net came to be added later and badminton in its present form was born. This sport derived its name from Badminton House in Gloucestershire where the game was played at a lawn party. The International Badminton Federation (IBF) that was started in 1934 now has more than 130 member countries. The Asian countries now dominate the badminton scene and they continue to rule the roost as far as tournaments go. Badminton matches draw thousands of spectators in Malaysia, Indonesia and China.






Badminton in the U.S. began as a weekend meeting place for New York’s society leaders with the formation of the Badminton Club of New York in 1878. Clubs and YMCAs and educational institutions began to offer training in badminton. Several Hollywood personalities like James Cagney, Bette Davis and Joan Crawford were avid badminton players. The United States Badminton Association (USBA) has its national office in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This body focuses on promoting badminton within the country and developing players.

SOURCE : clearleadinc.com