Who at least once in your life tried to play badminton? Everyone loves him: both adults and children. Of course, many play badminton at an amateur level. To do this, you do not need a specially defined area, a net like a volleyball, referees and strict rules. Players just try not to drop the shuttle so as not to interrupt a fun match. However, badminton is also a sports discipline that is part of the Summer Olympics. Naturally, everything is much more serious here: there are referees, a special charter, professional markup, uniforms, etc. In addition, amateur equipment is slightly different from professional equipment. For example, the shuttlecock in the first case is made of plastic, and in the second - from natural feathers. By the way, badminton is one of the oldest games that today are considered Olympic. And immediately the question arises: “Which country is the homeland of badminton? Who is its founder? ” You can learn about this and much more by reading this article.
Which country is the homeland of badminton?
In recent years, in competitions in this sport, most often Chinese and Koreans become champions. They are better than other athletes who manage to keep the pitch, and the speed of reaction in this game is an important component. In view of this, many believe that the homeland of badminton is China or Korea. However, this is completely untrue. There are several versions regarding the origin of this sport. So, for example, in ancient Greece there was a game that resembled badminton, only in it the shuttlecock was thrown at each other not with a racket, but with hands and feet. However, today hardly anyone believes that the homeland of badminton is Greece, and Japan too, although back in the 14th century it was customary for young people to play “oybana”, which had many common features with modern badminton. The shuttlecock was made from sakura stone, in which holes were drilled and feathers stuck, and the rackets were wooden. But the French game "same de pom" is more like tennis, because there the main "protagonist" was a small ball. However, in many sports blogs, the question: “Which country is the homeland of badminton?” - one single answer is given: "India." Is it so? Is this information true? We invite you to understand this with us.
How did badminton originate in Europe?
As noted above, the country of origin of badminton is India. What evidence is there for this? Well, for example, the “Pune” was born here - the game closest to badminton. From the 17th century, India became a British colony, and the British began to "host" on its territory. The sailors learned from the Indians this game and, returning to their country, introduced their compatriots to it. At first, only commoners were fond of her, but later noble gentlemen also loved her, who were just looking for something to occupy themselves with. She especially liked the Duke of Beaufort, the owner of the Badminton House Castle. In the 70s of the 19th century, he brought a lot of rackets and shuttlecocks for pune from the East Indies and organized a kind of sports school on his estate, where everyone could learn the game, which henceforth became known as the estate - “badminton”. He also invented new rules of the game, and the rackets and shuttlecock were improved. The number of badminton fans grew every day, and twenty years later the English association of badminton players was created. In 1899, the first championship in this game was held in England.
So you know which country is the homeland of badminton, or rather, there are two of them: India and England. In one, it was born, and in the second, it was reinvigorated.
Federation and Championships
Another 35 years passed, during which badminton spread throughout the world. And so, in 1934, the International Badminton Federation was created in the same England, and since 1947 world championships in this sport, the Thomas Cup, began to be held. Only men participated in them. Since 1955, a women's championship has been organized - the Weber Cup. In a word, England contributed not only to the origin of this game in Europe, but also to its distribution and recognition as a separate sport. Now you probably have no doubts about which country is the birthplace of badminton in the modern sense. This is definitely England.
Conclusion
By the way, badminton was included in the Olympic program only in 1992, although back in 1972, at the Munich Olympics, this game was presented as a demonstrative discipline. With each year, interest in it not only does not fade away, but, on the contrary, increases.