Martes, Hulyo 26, 2011

History Of Badminton


Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players (singles) or two opposing pairs (doubles), who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their opponents’ half of the court. Each side may only strike the shuttlecock once before it passes over the net. A rally ends once the shuttlecock has struck the floor.
Since 1992, badminton has been an Olympic sport with five events: men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles, in which each pair consists of a man and a woman. At high levels of play, the sport demands excellent fitness: players require aerobic stamina, agility, strength, speed and precision. It is also a technical sport, requiring good motor coordination and the development of sophisticated racquet movements.
The shuttlecock (or shuttle) is a feathered projectile whose unique aerodynamic properties cause it to fly differently from the balls used in most racquet sports; in particular, the feathers create much higher drag, causing the shuttlecock to decelerate more rapidly than a ball. Shuttlecocks have a much higher top speed, when compared to other racquet sports. Because shuttlecock flight is affected by wind, competitive badminton is played indoors. Badminton is also played outdoors as a casual recreational activity, often as a garden or beach game.

The origins of the game of badminton date back at least two thousand years to the game of battledore and shuttlecock played in ancient Greece, China and India.
A very long history for one of the Olympics newest sports! Badminton took its name from Badminton House in Gloucestershire, the ancestral home of the Duke of Beaufort, where the sport was played in the last century. Gloucestershire is now the base for the International Badminton Federation.
The IBF was formed in 1934 with 9 members – Canada, Denmark, ,France, Netherlands, England, New Zealand, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The United States joined 4 years later. Membership increased steadily over the next few years with a surge in new members after the Olympic Games debut at Barcelona.
The 1st big IBF tournament was the Thomas Cup (Men’s world team championships) in 1948. Since then, the number of world events has increased to 7, with the addition of the Uber Cup (ladies’ team), World Championships, Sudirman Cup (mixed team), World Juniors, World Grand Prix Finals and the World Cup.
The World Cup invitational event started in 1981 and is organized by the International Management Group (IMG). The World Cup series is due to end in 1997 and the IBF is considering organizing exhibition matches featuring the world’s top players to replace the World Cup.
For the recent Thomas & Uber Cups in Hong Kong, the sale of commercial and television rights was a multi-million dollar contract. And it’s not just in Asia. In Europe, also, there’s a growing number of companies bidding for rights. Television companies world-wide are already buying exclusive rights to the 1997 World Championships, to be held in Glasgow, Scotland.
A turning point in badminton’s growth was the $20 million tripartite contract in 1994 for sponsorship of the World Grand Prix Finals. Under the terms of the deal between the IBF, IMG and STAR TV, STAR injects the monies into the promotion and development of badminton. In return STAR gains total exclusivity for the exploitation of the commercial and television rights to the WGP Finals. “The deal was good for both main parties”, said David Shaw, IBF’s Executive Director, who was brought into the organization with a brief to grow the sport. “We needed a strong partner in television, and the broadcaster had identified badminton as a vehicle which would attract audiences across Asia to its Prime Sports Channel”.
The next phase in the rise and rise of international badminton has been to retake the USA. The US was an early member of the IBF and initially one of the most successful. When the Uber Cup was introduced in 1956, Americans won the first three events. But then interest waned.
Badminton is a well liked and familiar sport in the USA, but predominantly is usually played as a fun game in the back yard or on the beach. We know that once Americans see the other badminton – international badminton, the world’s fastest racket sport – they will want to see and play more. The Atlanta Olympics started to raise the sport’s profile in the US. The event was a sell-out and became one of the “must-see” sports. Ex-President Jimmy Carter, Chelsea Clinton, Paul Newman and Princess Anne were among the celebrities who came to watch. David Broder of the Washington Post reported: “seeing one of the supreme athletic spectacles of my life”.
1996 was a landmark in USA badminton. It’s not only the Atlanta Olympic Games that started to generate tremendous interest in the US market. In December 1995 the IBF introduced a new concept tournament in California, the Hong Ta Shan Cup; a men’s invitation tournament with the best players and big prize money. There are now plans plans to add a women’s event and to increase the prize money. The Hongtashan Group has gone on to sponsor the US Open, increasing the prize money to $200,000 . This makes the event the most valuable World Grand Prix event in the series and gives it six-star status.
The degree of change is increasing. Badminton’s debut as an Olympic Games sport has manifestly boosted interest internationally. The STAR TV agreement has increased the sport’s coverage dramatically. Sponsors and television companies are being attracted to a sport which gives them access to the Asian economies. And, spectators are increasingly attracted to the “exciting mix of angles, tactics, touch, reaction and fitness that would exhaust a squash champion