Badminton is named after the county seat of the duke of Beaufort in Gloucestershire, England, possibly the region where the game was first played. There is more badminton trivia below.
- The official world smash speed record is 332 km/h (206 mph), set by men's doubles player Fu Haifeng of China, on June 3, 2005 in the Sudirman Cup. In the singles competition, the fastest smash recorded is 305 km/h (189 mph) by Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia.
- The weight of the shuttlecock is about 17-19 ounces. It usually lasts for no more than two games. The heavier the shuttlecock, the faster it flies. They also fly faster in higher temperatures and at higher altitudes.
- The first badminton club in the US was the Badminton Club of New York, formed in 1878.
- A shuttlecock (sometimes called a bird or birdie) must have 14-16 feathers and are usually from a goose or duck and from the left wing of the bird only.
- Badminton premiered as a full-medal Olympic sport at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. See more about Badminton at the Olympics.
- The International Badminton Federation's World Grand Prix Circuit, started in the 1980s, turned a primarily amateur sport into a professional one.
- The IBF has 130 member associations around the world, with more than 14 million members.
Related Pages
- Back to Badminton home
- More Sporting Trivia
- Summary of the sport of badminton