BADMINTON
|
The History of Badminton
Early photographs show Englishmen adding a net to the traditional game of The beginnings of Badminton can be traced to mid-18th century British India, where it was created by British military officers stationed there.Englishbattledore 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.
Although it appears clear that Badminton House, Gloucestershire, owned by the Duke of Beaufort, has given its name to the sports, it is unclear when and why the name was adopted. As early as 1860, Isaac Spratt, a London toy dealer, published a booklet, Badminton Battledore – a new game, but unfortunately no copy has survived. An 1863 article in The Cornhill Magazine describes badminton as "battledore and shuttlecock played with sides, across a string suspended some five feet from the ground". This early use has cast doubt on the origin through expatriates in India, though it is known that it was popular there in the 1870s and that the first rules were drawn up in Poonah in 1873. As early as 1875, veterans returning from India started a club in Folkestone. Until 1887, the sport was played in England under the rules that prevailed in British India. The Bath Badminton Club standardized the rules and made the game applicable to English ideas. J.H.E. Hart drew up revised basic regulations in 1887 and, with Bagnel Wild, again in 1890. In 1893, the Badminton Association of England published the first set of rules according to these regulations, similar to today's rules, and officially launched badminton in a house called "Dunbar" at 6 Waverley Grove, Portsmouth, England on September 13 of that year. They also started the All England Open Badminton Championships, the first badminton competition in the world, in 1899. The International Badminton Federation (IBF) (now known as Badminton World Federation) was established in 1934 with Canada, Denmark, England, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales as its founding members. India joined as an affiliate in 1936. The BWF now governs international badminton and develops the sport globally. While initiated in England, competitive men's badminton in Europe has traditionally been dominated by Denmark. Asian nations, however, have been the most dominant ones at the world level. Indonesia, South Korea, China, and Malaysia along with Denmark are among the nations that have consistently produced world-class players in the past few decades, with China being the greatest force in both men's and women's competition in recent years. |
Uber Cup - Badminton Women Competition
The Uber Cup, sometimes called the World Team Championships for Women, is a major international badminton competition contested by women's national badminton teams. First held in 1956-1957 and contested at three year intervals, it has been contested every two years since 1984 when its scheduled times and venues were merged with those of Thomas Cup, the world men's team championship. The Uber Cup is named after a former British women's badminton player, Betty Uber, who in 1950 had the idea of hosting a women's event similar to that of the men. She also made the draw for the 1956-1957 inaugural tournament, which took place at Lytham St. Annes in Lancashire, England.
The cup follows a similar format to that of the men's competition of the Thomas Cup. After the twenty second tournament 2008 China is the most successful team, having lifted the trophy eleven times. Japan is second, having won it five times, followed by Indonesia and United States, each with three cups.
The 2010 Uber Cup was contested in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 2012 tournament will be held in Wuhan, China from May 20–27, 2012.
The cup follows a similar format to that of the men's competition of the Thomas Cup. After the twenty second tournament 2008 China is the most successful team, having lifted the trophy eleven times. Japan is second, having won it five times, followed by Indonesia and United States, each with three cups.
The 2010 Uber Cup was contested in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 2012 tournament will be held in Wuhan, China from May 20–27, 2012.
Equipment
Synthetic shuttles are often used by recreational players to reduce their costs as feathered shuttles break easily. These nylon shuttles may be constructed with either natural cork or synthetic foam base, and a plastic skirt. |
Rules
The court is rectangular and divided into halves by a net. Courts are usually marked for both singles and doubles play, although badminton rules permit a court to be marked for singles only. The doubles court is wider than the singles court, but both are of same length. The exception, which often causes confusion to newer players, is that the doubles court has a shorter serve-length dimension.
The full width of the court is 6.1 metres (20 ft), and in singles this width is reduced to 5.18 metres (17 ft). The full length of the court is 13.4 metres (44 ft). The service courts are marked by a centre line dividing the width of the court, by a short service line at a distance of 1.98 metres (6 ft 6 inch) from the net, and by the outer side and back boundaries. In doubles, the service court is also marked by a long service line, which is 0.76 metres (2 ft 6 inch) from the back boundary. The net is 1.55 metres (5 ft 1 inch) high at the edges and 1.524 metres (5 ft) high in the centre. The net posts are placed over the doubles sidelines, even when singles is played. The minimum height for the ceiling above the court is not mentioned in the Laws of Badminton. Nonetheless, a badminton court will not be suitable if the ceiling is likely to be hit on a high serve. |
ATHLETE
Kuei Ya "Joanne" Chen
Home: Irvine, CA
Birth Year: 90
Event: Women's Doubles Doubles Partner: Jamie Subandhi
Height: 5'2"
Birthdate: 1990
Birthplace: Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Hometown: Irvine, Calif.
Current Residence: Irvine, Calif.
Coach: Halim Haryanto Ho
Racket: Armortec 800 Offensive
Dominant Hand: Right Hand
Kuei Ya "Joanne" Chen is the daughter of Chinghung and Chin Yi Shieh...Has one brother, Po Ting Chen...Is a senior at Woodbridge High School in Irvine, Calif. and expect to graduate in 2008...Has received many Sentinel Awards while in high school...Was born in Taiwan...Enjoys listening to music and sleeping when not playing badminton.
Competition Record:
2007 Results:
Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Women's Doubles (Jamie Subandhi), Bronze
2005 Results:
Boston Open, Women's Doubles (Jamie Subandhi), Semi-finalist
USBDF Spring Badminton Junior Open Championships, Under-19 and Under-22 Women's Doubles (Jamie Subandhi), Runner-up
2004 Results:
USBDF Spring Badminton Junior Open Championships, Under-17 Girl's Doubles (Jamie Subandhi), Champion