Badminton

Badminton takes its name from Badminton House—the residence of the Duke of Beaufort in Gloucestershire, England. In 1873, the Duke introduced a version of the game, known as "Poona," which he brought back from India and showcased to his guests, marking the beginning of badminton as we know it today.

The sport made its Olympic debut as a demonstration event at the 1972 Munich Games. It was officially added to the Olympic programme at the 1992 Barcelona Games, with men’s and women’s singles and doubles events. Mixed doubles were introduced four years later at the 1996 Atlanta Games. Since then, the number of Olympic badminton events has remained unchanged.

A badminton match consists of the best of three games. A coin toss takes place before the first game, and the winner of the toss chooses either to serve first or to select a side of the court. One point is awarded after each rally, and games are played up to 21 points. If the score reaches 20–20, a player or pair must win by two clear points, or be the first to reach 30 points.

Olympic badminton competitions begin with a group stage followed by a single-elimination tournament. The top eight players or pairs are seeded, and qualification is determined based on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) world rankings. For singles events, 35 athletes qualify; for doubles, 16 pairs are selected to compete.