Badminton was invented in India. It was adopted by English soldiers there in the 19th century, who brought the game to Great Britain and eventually to many other countries. The game was originally called “Poona”. The new sport took hold in England when it was exhibited there in 1873, at a party given by the Duke of Beaufort at his country estate, “Badminton”, in Gloucestershire.
Badminton was contested as a demonstration sport at the 1972 Olympic Games in München. After 1972, it did not appear at the Olympics until its début at Barcelona 1992, as a full medal sport. This was then an unusual mode of entry into the Olympics, as sports were usually added after several demonstration appearances.
At the Olympics, men and women compete in singles and doubles, and there is a mixed doubles event. Badminton is governed by the International Badminton Federation (IBF), which was formed on 5 July 1934 in London with nine members – Canada, Denmark, England, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales. The organization was renamed to Badminton World Federation (BWF) on 24 September 2006, and has 198 members as of 2022.
Badminton has been dominated by China, Indonesia, and Korea, which together have won 88 of the 121 available medals through 2022, and 34 of 39 gold medals. Gao Ling (CHN) is the only badminton player to have won four medals, with seven players having won three. Ten players have won two gold medals, including Gao Ling. One of these players with two gold medals is Chinese Fu Haifeng, who leads the count on the men’s side, adding a silver medal to the two Olympic titles.