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Civilizations in China, Greece, and India played early forms of shuttlecock games. In China, the game Ti Jian Zi involved keeping a weighted shuttlecock in the air using the feet. In Greece and India, players used paddles or hands to keep a shuttlecock aloft — similar to what we now call battledore and shuttlecock. -
British Army officers stationed in Pune (then Poona), India, played a game involving rackets and a shuttlecock. It was similar to modern badminton and played outdoors with a net. They brought the game back to England, introducing it to the upper-class society.
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The Duke of Beaufort hosted a lawn party at Badminton House in Gloucestershire.
Guests played a version of Poona indoors due to rain.
The game became fashionable and was soon named "Badminton" after the estate. -
The Bath Badminton Club formalized the rules of the game.
These early rules closely resembled those of modern badminton, including net height and court dimensions. It marked the start of organized play in England. -
The Badminton Association of England (BAE) was established to standardize rules and promote the sport.
They published a rulebook and organized competitions.
This was a major step toward formalizing badminton as a competitive sport. -
The All England Open Badminton Championships was held in Guildford.
It included men’s and women’s singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.
It's now the oldest badminton tournament in the world and one of the sport's most prestigious. -
Nine countries (England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Denmark, Holland, Canada, New Zealand, and France) formed the IBF.
It became the global governing body of badminton.
The IBF standardized international rules and began planning world tournaments. -
The Thomas Cup, the world men's team championship, was held for the first time.
Malaya (modern-day Malaysia) won the inaugural title.
It established badminton as a truly international team sport. -
The Uber Cup was introduced as the women's equivalent of the Thomas Cup.
It was named after Betty Uber, a former English champion who proposed the tournament.
It promoted international women’s badminton competition. -
Badminton appeared as a demonstration sport at the Munich Olympics.
Although it did not yet award medals, it increased global visibility and interest in the sport. -
Badminton became an official Olympic sport at the Barcelona Games.
Events included men's and women's singles and doubles.
Indonesia, South Korea, and China dominated early Olympic tournaments. -
The International Badminton Federation changed its name to the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
This rebranding aligned with its mission to modernize and promote badminton globally.
BWF continues to oversee world rankings, tournaments, and regulations today.