Badminton

Badminton began about 2,000 years ago. Then, the game was the battledore and the shuttlecock, played in ancient Greece, India, and China. The name badminton came from the Badminton House in Gloucestershire, England, where the sport was played for many years. Gloucestershire is now home of the International Badminton Federation (IBF), which was founded in 1934.

FUN FACTS

131 countries are members of the International Badminton Federation
Badminton became an Olympic Sport in 1992.
More than 1.1 billion people watched the Olympic debut of badminton on television.
China and Indonesia are two of the most successful badminton countries, winning 70 percent of all IBF events.
Badminton is the world's fastest racket sport (a shuttle can leave the racket at a speed nearing 200 mph).

WHY WOULD I PLAY?

By playing badminton you can burn .214 calories per minute per pound of your body weight. So, for example, if you weigh 120 pounds and you play badminton at a vigorous pace for 30 minutes, you will burn 770.4 calories (.214 x 120 x 30)
A badminton player may cover more than one mile in a single match.
You only need one other person in order to play. (Thus, it is easier to get a game going than in other sports that require large numbers of players.)
Badminton is a lifelong sport. You can play it when you are 5 or 75!
It's fun!