Badminton players at the London 2012 Olympic Games will need lightning-fast reactions if they’re to keep up with shuttlecocks travelling at speeds in excess of 400km/h.
Key facts
Venue: Wembley Arena
Dates: Saturday 28 July – Sunday 5 August
Medal events: 5
Athletes: 172
During the 19th century, British military officers in the Indian town of Poona added a net to the ancient game of battledore (meaning ‘bat’) and shuttlecock, and named this new game after the town.
The sport of Poona was eventually brought back home by the officers, and was played at the Duke of Beaufort’s Gloucestershire residence in 1873. The residence was (and is still) called Badminton House, which is how this thrilling sport got the name used today.
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