Badminton, court or lawn game played with lightweight rackets and

a shuttlecock. Historically, the shuttlecock (also known as a “bird” or

“birdie”) was a small cork hemisphere with 16 goose feathers attached
and weighing about 0.17 ounce (5 grams). These types of shuttles may
still be used in modern play, but shuttles made
from synthetic materials are also allowed by the Badminton World
Federation. The game is named for Badminton, the country estate of
the dukes of Beaufort in Gloucestershire, England, where it was first
played about 1873. The roots of the sport can be traced to ancient
Greece, China, and India, and it is closely related to the old children’s
game battledore and shuttlecock. Badminton is derived directly
from poona, which was played by British army officers stationed in
India in the 1860s. The first unofficial all-England badminton
championships for men were held in 1899, and the first
badminton tournament for women was arranged the next year.
Competitive badminton is usually played indoors because even light
winds affect the course of the shuttlecock. (Recreational badminton,
on the other hand, is a popular outdoor summertime activity.) The
rectangular court is 44 feet (13.4 metres) long and 17 feet (5.2 metres)
wide for singles, 20 feet (6.1 metres) wide for doubles. A net 5 feet (1.5
metres) high stretches across the width of the court at its centre. A
clear space of 4 feet (1.3 metres) around the court is needed. Play
consists entirely of volleying—hitting the shuttlecock back and forth
across the net without letting it touch the floor or ground within the
boundaries of the court.