Summer Games Badminton Tickets

More about the 2012 Olympic Badminton competition - 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. 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. The beginnings of Badminton can be traced to mid-18th century British India, where it was created by British military officers stationed there. Early photographs show Englishmen adding a net to the traditional English game of battledore and shuttlecock. Being particularly popular in the British garrison town Poona (now Pune), the game also came to be known as Poona. Initially, balls of wool referred as ball badminton were preferred by the upper classes in windy or wet conditions, but ultimately the shuttlecock stuck. This game was taken by retired officers back to England where it developed and rules were set out.

Key facts

Venue: Wembley Arena
Dates: Saturday 28 July – Sunday 5 August
Medal events: 5
Athletes: 172