Badminton at the Olympic Games
Badminton is an indoor racquet sport predominantly played with racquets, typically used to hit a ping-pong ball back and forth in a racquetball court. While it can be played with multiple teams, the most popular forms of the sport are “groups” and “quads.” In doubles, two to three people play at a time on opposite sides of a single court. “Singles” (two to four players) play against each other on separate courts.
Badminton was played as an Olympic event in 1992. The badminton events at the Olympic Games were: singles/minibars, doubles, mixed doubles, and team competition. Each competition had 21 points, which were recorded before the games began. Competitors also were awarded fees called “payouts” for winning each game. USA Badminton, the National Badminton Association, is the governing body for the sport. The first Olympics showcased the event in 1992.
Badminton can be played from different locations, such as a home or public court, and includes both male and female players. The rules of badminton state that the team playing on one side must shoot at the other team’s birdie before they will be allowed to return to their side. After the birdie has been hit, players must scramble to the next piece on the court. When a player on one team has reached the last piece on the other team’s court, that team has “won” the point and the other team lose one point.
There are two types of badminton: singles and mixed doubles. In mixed doubles, both partners are allowed to switch roles. This makes it easier for pairs to play against each other, such as a doubles game with a centre-forward and a second pair that are either forward or back. The mixed doubles games also make it easier to see the action from different perspectives and watch the same competitors.
The standard rules of badminton state that the two players on each team are given 4 minutes of added time. Once this time has elapsed, any foul shots made or serve hits will be penalized and the teams will switch roles. The winning team gets to keep their four minutes, while the losing team has to forfeit their four minutes and the other team becomes the winner. If there is still a tie after four minutes have passed, the game is again played to the last crew and the first team with the best service line service birdie is given the victory.
Badminton has earned a lot of bronze medals at the Olympic Games. Most of these medals are won by country teams. Canada, Japan and China have won the most gold medals with USA trailing slightly. Britain has also won several bronze medals but lagging far behind the other countries. Among the bronze medals won by badminton teams at the Olympic Games, Australia and China are the most popular due to their long years of participation in the badminton tournaments at the Olympic Games.
Badminton is played in singles, doubles and the inter-team competition in singles. For a single game, there is only a specified number of rotations through which the team plays. Each rotation is accompanied by a pre-determined number of faults. In a doubles game, each player has three rotations with the rotations being consecutive. A team winning an Olympic game normally gains an advantage with a better score than the other team.
For an inter-team competition, the rotation rotations are not allowed and the players must play in their partner’s quadrant. This is done until there are no more faults for that player in his or her quadrant. A team can only gain 21 points for winning and the other losing team has to lose according to the results of their respective pairs. A team only gains 21 points if it wins and loses no fewer than 21 points and pairs have equal chances of winning and losing.