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Olympic Sport
Badminton premiered as a full-medal Olympic sport at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona,
Spain and was again featured at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. At the Sydney
Olympic Games in 2000, badminton continued as a full-medal sport.
Top Countries
Indonesia occupies all the top positions in the latest world rankings. In men's
doubles, 4 of the top 10 are from Indonesia as are 3 of the top 10 women's singles players
and 2 each of the top ten men's singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles players or
pairs.
Other dominant countries are China (with 5 of
the top ten women's singles players, 3 in men's singles, 2 in women's doubles and 1 each
in the men's and mixed doubles), Malaysia (with 2 of the top ten men's singles players and
1 in men's doubles), Korea (with 1 player or pair in the top ten in women's singles and
men's, women's and mixed doubles), and Denmark (with 3 top ten pairs in women's doubles, 2
in the mixed doubles, 2 players in the ten in men's singles and 1 in women's singles as
well as 1 pair in the men's doubles).
Major International Tournaments
Olympic Games
Thomas and Uber Cup (World Team Championships for men and women,
respectively, held every even year),
World Championships (held every odd year),
Sudirman Cup (World Mixed Team Championships, held every odd
year),
The All England Open
The US Open
Professional or
Amateur
The International Badminton Federation's World Grand Prix Circuit, started in the
1980s, turned a primarily amateur sport into a professional one. The highest paying Grand
Prix tournament, the U.S. Open, awards $200,000 in prize money. The Grand Prix Finals, a
tournament of champions, has a purse of $350,000. The USBA Classic Series is America's own
"Grand Prix Circuit," in which top U.S. players compete in five regional
tournaments for a minimum of $2,000 in prize money per event.
International
Association
International Badminton Federation (IBF) headquatered in
Gloucestershire, England, established in 1934.
Worldwide
Associations
The IBF has 130 member associations around the world, with more than 14 million members.
Badminton's Beginning
Modern badminton began at "Poona" in India. In the 1860s it was adopted by
British Army officers stationed in India. The officers took the game back to England,
where it became a success at a party given by the Duke of Beaufort at his estate called
"Badminton" in Gloucestershire.
Fastest Sport
Badminton is one the world's fastest racket sports, requiring quick reflexes and superb
conditioning. In a badminton smash, the shuttlecock has been timed at speeds over 200
m.p.h. in top international competition.
Aerobic Sport
Badminton is a highly aerobic sport which can be played throughout one's lifetime. In a
typical two-game match, a player run approximately one mile.
Tennis vs.
Badminton
Statistics Don't Lie, the speed and the stamina
required for badminton are far greater than for any other racket sport. At the 1985 All
England
(Tennis) Championships, Boris Becker defeated Kevin Curren 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4. At the 1985
World Badminton Championships in Calgary, Canada, Han Jian of China defeated Morten Frost
of Denmark, 14-18, 15-10, 15-8. The following is a statistical comparison of those
matches.
Time: Tennis, 3 hours and 18 minutes. Badminton, 1 hour and 16 minutes.
Ball/Shuttle in Play: Tennis, 18 minutes. Badminton, 37 minutes.
Match Intensity*: Tennis, 9 percent. Badminton, 48 percent.
Rallies: Tennis 299. Badminton, 146. Shots: Tennis, 1,004. Badminton, 1,972.
Shots Per Rally: Tennis, 3.4. Badminton, 13.5. Distance Covered: Tennis, 2 miles.
Badminton, 4 miles.
Note that the badminton players competed for half the time, yet ran
twice as far and hit nearly twice as many shots.
*The actual time the
ball/shuttle was in flight, divided by the length of the match. |
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