Badminton

In badminton players use rackets to hit a light shuttlecock over a high net into the opponents' court; the shuttle must not touch the floor. Professional smashes can send the shuttle at more than 400 km/h — a record among racket sports.

History

Shuttlecock games were long known in Asia and Europe. Modern badminton took shape in the nineteenth century among British officers in India and took its name from Badminton House in England, where the game was shown in 1873. The oldest tournament, the All England, has been held since 1899. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) was founded in 1934, and badminton has been an Olympic sport since 1992.

Major competitions

The Olympic Games, the World Championships, the BWF World Tour, the All England Open and the Thomas, Uber and Sudirman Cups for teams.

Badminton in the Turkic world

Türkiye's Neslihan Arın has won bronze at the Baku 2015 European Games and at several European Championships and has represented her country at the Olympics. Badminton is also spreading quickly in schools in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.