Rasul Shafikov

My wife Gulnara and I like to play badminton whenever we have a chance. Badminton is part of the Olympic Games since 1992. It is one of the fastest racket games. The initial speed of a shuttlecock ('birdie') can reach 300 km/h and higher, which is faster than a serve in tennis. Playing badminton requires significant endurance and the ability to move extremely fast - something that is known to be really difficult to combine. During a good game a player can cover up to 5 miles. Statistics also tells that "match intensity" (the time the shuttle/ball was in the air divided by the duration of the match) in a good tennis game is about 10%, while in badminton it's about 50%.

Modern badminton began as "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. During the earlier years of the sport, badminton was played under many different conditions -- courts of different dimensions, shuttlecocks and rackets of various designs, even many different sets of rules defining the basic game. This ended in 1893 with the foundation of the Badminton Association of England and the accompanying codification of the rules. The first badminton club in Canada appeared in 1907 (Montreal).

Interestingly enough, between 1949-1967, the United States largely dominated the sport, but America's international success has declined since the 1970s. Current leaders in this sport: China, Korea, Indonesia. The best European team is Denmark.

Some badminton pictures

Related links:

> History of badminton in Canada (from Badminton Canada)
> Ontario Badminton Association
> Official Badminton rules
> Badminton Central
> Woodstock Badminton club