| The exact origin of the game, tracing back to ancient Greece and China more than 2000 years ago, is shrouded in mystery. It is believed that the game descended directly from the ancient game of battledore and shuttlecock. This was primarily a children's game although 19th century illustrations show adults playing it mostly in the garden and sometimes indoors. Battledore and shuttlecock has been described as a leisurely pastime whereby players count the number of hits and try to keep the shuttlecock up in the air as long as possible.
There is also some dispute about how modern day badminton started. One claim is that it started in England at Badminton House in Gloucestershire in the middle of the 19th century. A net, in the form of a string, was strung across to separate the players from two opposing teams. A rival claim has it that the game was first played by the British in India in the 1870s before it was brought back to Britain by returning army officers. The first attempt to establish the rules of the game was made around that time in Poona, India. But no formal rules were drawn up until the Badminton Association (of England) was formed in 1893.
The Badminton World Federation
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) formerly International Badminton Federation (IBF) was formed in 1934. The founder members were England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Holland, Denmark, New Zealand, Canada and France. Today, the BWF has more than 130 member countries from five continental confederations - the African Badminton Federation, the Asian Badminton Confederation, the European Badminton Union, the Oceania Badminton Confederation and the Pan-American Badminton Confederation.
The Thomas Cup
The first tournament was held at the Queen's Hall in Preston in February 1949. The late Sir George Thomas, founder president of the BWF, donated the Thomas Cup trophy . Malaya won the first competition when they defeated Denmark 8-1 in the final. Since then, the Cup has stayed with three Asian countries. Indonesia has won it a record 12 times, followed by Malaysia (five times) and China (four times). Denmark has reached the final on six occasions but has never won it. For the first 12 series until 1982, the Thomas Cup was held once every three years. Since 1984, the competition has been staged every two years. The playing format was also changed from the best of nine matches over two days to best of five over one day.
The Uber Cup
The first Uber Cup competition was held at Lytham St. Annes in Lancashire, Britain, in 1957 following calls to organise an international team championship for women similar to the Thomas Cup. The Uber Cup trophy was donated by Mrs H.S Uber. The United States won the first tournament when they defeated Denmark 6-1 in the final. The Uber Cup was held every three years until 1984. Since 1986, the tournament has been held every two years. Only four countries - the USA, Japan, China and Indonesia - have managed to win the Uber Cup.
International competitions
Badminton's introduction as a model sport at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics served proof of the game's progress and increasing popularity. Four events - the men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles and women's doubles - were held at Barcelona. At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the mixed doubles event was added. The World Junior Championships, now biennial affair, was also inaugurated in 1992 at Jakarta. The World Championships was started much earlier at Malmo in 1977. After the World Championships was subsequently held at Jakarta in 1980 and Copenhagen in 1983, it has also become a biennial affair since 1985 when it was held at Calgary. The World Cup, held every year, was started in 1981 while the present World Grand Prix Circuit - culminating with the World GP Final every year - began in 1983.
THOMAS CUP FINALS
| Year |
Winner |
beat |
Runner Up |
Scores |
Played at |
| 1949 |
Malay |
vs |
Denmark |
8-1 |
Preston |
| 1952 |
Malaya |
vs |
USA |
7-2 |
Singapore |
| 1955 |
Malaya |
vs |
Denmark |
8-1 |
Singapore |
| 1958 |
Indonesia |
vs |
Malaya |
6-3 |
Singapore |
| 1961 |
Indonesia |
vs |
Thailand |
6-3 |
Jakarta |
| 1964 |
Indonesia |
vs |
Denmark |
5-4 |
Tokyo |
| 1967 |
Malaysia |
vs |
Indonesia |
6-3 |
Jakarta |
| 1970 |
Indonesia |
vs |
Malaysia |
7-2 |
Kuala Lumpur |
| 1973 |
Indonesia |
vs |
Denmark |
8-1 |
Jakarta |
| 1976 |
Indonesia |
vs |
Malaysia |
9-0 |
Bangkok |
| 1979 |
Indonesia |
vs |
Denmark |
9-0 |
Jakarta |
| 1982 |
China |
vs |
Indonesia |
5-4 |
London |
| 1984 |
Indonesia |
vs |
China |
3-2 |
Kuala Lumpur |
| 1986 |
China |
vs |
Indonesia |
3-2 |
Jakarta |
| 1988 |
China |
vs |
Malaysia |
4-1 |
Kuala Lumpur |
| 1990 |
China |
vs |
Malaysia |
4-1 |
Tokyo |
| 1992 |
Malaysia |
vs |
Indonesia |
3-2 |
Kuala Lumpur |
| 1994 |
Indonesia |
vs |
Malaysia |
3-0 |
Jakarta |
| 1996 |
Indonesia |
vs |
Denmark |
5-0 |
Hongkong |
| 1998 |
Indonesia |
vs |
Malaysia |
3-2 |
Hongkong |
| 2000 |
Indonesia |
vs |
China |
3-0 |
Kuala Lumpur |
| 2002 |
Indonesia |
vs |
Malaysia |
3-2 |
Guangzhou |
| 2004 |
China |
vs |
Denmark |
3-1 |
Jakarta |
| 2006 |
China |
vs |
Denmark |
3-0 |
Sendai/Tokyo |
| 2008 |
China |
vs |
Korea |
3-1 |
Jakarta |
| 2010 |
China |
vs |
Indonesia |
3-0 |
Kuala Lumpur |
UBER CUP FINALS
| Year |
Winner |
beat |
Runner Up |
Scores |
Played at |
| 1957 |
USA |
vs |
Denmark |
6-1 |
St Annes |
| 1960 |
USA |
vs |
Denmark |
5-2 |
Phil |
| 1963 |
USA |
vs |
England |
4-3 |
Wilming |
| 1966 |
Japan |
vs |
USA |
5-2 |
Wellington |
| 1969 |
Japan |
vs |
Indonesia |
6-1 |
Tokyo |
| 1972 |
Japan |
vs |
Indonesia |
6-1 |
Tokyo |
| 1975 |
Indonesia |
vs |
Japan |
5-2 |
Jakarta |
| 1978 |
Japan |
vs |
Indonesia |
5-2 |
Auckland |
| 1981 |
Japan |
vs |
Indonesia |
6-3 |
Tokyo |
| 1984 |
China |
vs |
England |
5-0 |
Kuala Lumpur |
| 1986 |
China |
vs |
Indonesia |
3-2 |
Jakarta |
| 1988 |
China |
vs |
South Korea |
5-0 |
Kuala Lumpur |
| 1990 |
China |
vs |
South Korea |
3-2 |
Tokyo |
| 1992 |
China |
vs |
South Korea |
3-2 |
Kuala Lumpur |
| 1994 |
Indonesia |
vs |
China |
3-2 |
Jakarta |
| 1996 |
Indonesia |
vs |
China |
4-1 |
Hongkong |
| 1998 |
China |
vs |
Indonesia |
4-1 |
Hongkong |
| 2000 |
China |
vs |
Denmark |
3-0 |
Kuala Lumpur |
| 2002 |
China |
vs |
Korea |
3-1 |
Guangzhou |
| 2004 |
China |
vs |
Korea |
3-1 |
Jakarta |
| 2006 |
China |
vs |
Netherlands |
3-0 |
Sendai/Tokyo |
| 2008 |
China |
vs |
Indonesia |
3-0 |
Jakarta |
| 2010 |
Korea |
vs |
China |
3-1 |
Kuala Lumpur |
OLYMPIC GAMES (Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008)
| Year |
Men's Singles |
Year |
Women's Singles |
|
Gold Medalists |
|
Gold Medalists |
| 1992 |
Alan Budi Kesuma (Indonesia) |
1992 |
Susi Susanti (Indonesia) |
| 1996 |
Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen (Denmark) |
1996 |
Bang Soo-hyun (Korea) |
| 2000 |
Xinpang Ji (China) |
2000 |
Gong Zhichao (China) |
| 2004 |
Taufik Hidayat (Indonesia |
2004 |
Zhang Ning (China) |
| 2008 |
Lin Dan (China) |
2008 |
Zhang Ning (China) |
|
Silver Medalists |
|
Silver Medalists |
| 1992 |
Ardy Wiranata (Indonesia) |
1992 |
Bang Soo-hyun (Korea) |
| 1996 |
Dong Jiong (China) |
1996 |
Mia Audina (Indonesia) |
| 2000 |
Hendrawan (Indonesia) |
2000 |
Camilla Martin (Denmark) |
| 2004 |
Shon Seung Mo (Korea) |
2004 |
Mia Audina (Netherland) |
| 2008 |
Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) |
2008 |
Xie Xingfeng (China) |
|
Bronze Medalists |
|
Bronze Medalists |
| 1992 |
Thomas Stuer-Lauridsen (Denmark) |
1992 |
Huang Hua (China) |
|
Hermawan Susanto (Indonesia) |
|
Tang Jiuhong (China) |
| 1996 |
Rashid Sidek (Malaysia) |
1996 |
Susi Susanti (Indonesia) |
| 2000 |
Xuanze Xia (China) |
2000 |
Zhaoying Ye (China) |
| 2004 |
Soni Dewi Kuncoro (Indonesia) |
2004 |
Zhou Mi (China) |
| 2008 |
Chen Jin (China) |
2008 |
Maria Kristin Yulianti (Indonesia) |
|
4th Place |
|
4th Place |
| 1996 |
Heryanto Arbi (Indonesia) |
1996 |
Kim Ji-hyun (Korea) |
| 2000 |
Peter Gade (Denmark) |
2000 |
Dai Yun (China) |
| 2004 |
Boonsak Ponsana (Thailand) |
2004 |
Gong Ruina (China) |
| 2008 |
Lee Hyunil (Korea) |
2008 |
Lu Lan (China) |
|
Men's Doubles |
|
Women's Doubles |
|
Gold Medalists |
|
Gold Medalists |
| 1992 |
Park Joo-bong/Kim Moon-soo (Korea) |
1992 |
Hwang Hye-young/Chung So-young (Korea) |
| 1996 |
Ricky Subagia/Rexy Mainaky (Indonesia) |
1996 |
Ge Fei/Gu Yun (China) |
| 2000 |
Tony Gunawan / Candra Wijaya (Indonesia) |
2000 |
Ge Fei/Gu Yun (China) |
| 2004 |
Kim Dong Moon/Ha Tae Kwon (Korea) |
2004 |
Zhang Jie Wien/Yang Wei (China) |
| 2008 |
Mirkis Kido/Hendra Setiawan (Indonesia) |
2008 |
Du Jing/Yu Yang (China) |
|
Silver Medalists |
|
Silver Medalists |
| 1992 |
Eddy Hartono/Rudy Gunawan (Indonesia) |
1992 |
Guan Weizhen/Nong Qunhua (China) |
| 1996 |
Cheah Soon Kit/Yap Kim Hock (Malaysia) |
1996 |
Gil Young-ah/Jang Hye-ock (Korea) |
| 2000 |
Dong Soo Lee / Yoo Yong Sung (Korea) |
2000 |
Nanyan Huang / Wei Yang (China) |
| 2004 |
Lee Dong Soo/Yoo Yong Sung (Korea) |
2004 |
Huang Sui/Gao Ling (China) |
| 2008 |
Cai Yun/Fu Haifeng (China) |
2008 |
Lee Kyungwon/Lee Hyojung (Korea) |
|
Bronze Medalists |
|
Bronze Medalists |
| 1992 |
Li Yongbo/Tian Bingyi (China) |
1992 |
Gil Young-ah/Shim Eun-jung (Korea) |
|
Jalani Sidek/Razil Sidek (Malaysia) |
|
Lin Yanfen/Yao Fen (China) |
| 1996 |
Soo Beng Kiang/Tan Kim Her (Malaysia) |
1996 |
Qin Yiyuan/Tang Yongshu (China) |
| 2000 |
Tae Kwon Ha / Dong Moon Kim (Korea) |
2000 |
Ling Gao / Yiyuan Qin (China) |
| 2004 |
Eng Hian/Flandi Lempele (Indonesia) |
2004 |
Ra Kyung Min/Lee Kyung Min (Korea) |
| 2008 |
Lee Jaejin/Hwang Jiman (Korea) |
2008 |
Wei Yili/Zhang Yawen (China) |
|
4th Place |
|
4th Place |
| 1996 |
Denny Kantono/S. Antonius (Indonesia) |
1996 |
Helene Kirkegaard/Rikke Olsen (Denmark) |
| 2000 |
Tan Fook Choong / Wan Wah Lee (Malaysia) |
2000 |
Jae Hee Chung / Kyung Min Ra (Korea) |
| 2004 |
Jens Eriksen/Martin Lundgaard (Denmark) |
2004 |
Zhao Ting Ting/Wei Yi Li (China) |
| 2008 |
Lars Paaske/Jonas Rasmussen (Denmark) |
2008 |
Maeda Miyuki/Suetsuna Satoko (Japan) |
|
Mixed Doubles |
Sydney 2000 Olympic, Medals Standings |
|
Gold Medalists |
| Country |
Gold |
Silver |
Bronze |
Total |
|
| 1992 |
No event |
|
| 1996 |
Kim Dong-moon/Gil Young-ah (Korea) |
|
| 2000 |
Jun Zhang / Ling Gao (China) |
|
| 2004 |
Zhang Jun/Gao Ling (China) |
|
| 2008 |
Lee Yongdae / Lee Hyojung (Korea) |
|
|
|
Silver Medalists |
|
| 1992 |
No Event |
Athens 2004 Olympic, Medals Standings |
| 1996 |
Park Joo-bong/Ra Kyung-min (Korea) |
China |
|
| 2000 |
Tri Kusharyanto / Minarti Timur (Indonesia) |
Korea |
|
| 2004 |
Nathan Robertson/Gail Emms (Great Britain) |
Indonesia |
|
| 2008 |
Nova Widianto / Liliyana Natsir (Indonesia) |
|
|
|
Bronze Medalists |
Netherland |
|
| 1992 |
No Event |
Great Britain |
|
| 1996 |
Lin Jianjun/Sun Man (China) |
Denmark |
|
| 2000 |
Simon Archer / Joanne Goode (Great Britain) |
Beijing 2008 Olympic Medals Standings |
| 2004 |
Jens Eriksen (Denmark)
Mette Schjoldager (Denmark) |
China |
3, 2, 3 |
| 2008 |
He Hanbin / Yu Yang (China) |
Indonesia |
1, 1, 1 |
|
4th Place |
Korea |
1, 1, 1 |
| 1992 |
No Event |
Malaysia |
0, 1, 0 |
| 1996 |
Chen Xingdong/Peng Xingyong (China) |
|
|
| 2000 |
Michael Sogaard / Rikke Olsen (Denmark) |
|
|
| 2004 |
Jonas Rasmussen (Denmark)
Rikke Olsen (Denmark) |
|
|
| 2008 |
Flandy Limpele / Vita Marisa (Indonesia) |
|
|
|
