BWF World Tour · 2026 season
Racket Finder
Aerial view of an empty badminton court with officials’ chairs (AI-generated image) AI-generated image
The Sport · 02 of 06

History of badminton: from garrison game to Olympic sport

From shuttlecock games played for centuries to Olympic medals and a new scoring system: the short version, in eleven dates.

Timeline

Eleven dates that made the game

Who played what first is hazy, and historians still argue over the details. What is clear: the modern game took shape among British officers in India and in English country houses in the 1870s, got its rules in the 1890s and its world body in 1934.12

The scoring has changed more than once. Rally-point scoring to 21 arrived in 2006, and games go to 15 from January 2027.34

Read the full guide: the history of badminton The 3x15 system explained
  1. Ancient

    Shuttlecocks before rackets

    Games with a feathered shuttle go back centuries across Asia and Europe. In China, jianzi, a kicking game with a weighted shuttle, is generally dated to the Han dynasty.52

  2. 1860s–70s

    Poona

    British army officers in India play a net version of battledore and shuttlecock, called “Poona” after the town of that name (now Pune).12

  3. c. 1873

    Badminton House

    The game is played at the Duke of Beaufort’s estate, Badminton House in Gloucestershire, which gives the sport its name.12

  4. 1893

    The rules go national

    The Badminton Association of England publishes a common set of rules, built on regulations drawn up at the Bath Badminton Club in 1887.2

  5. 1899

    All England

    The first All England Championships are held, doubles only at first; singles follow in 1900.12

  6. 1934

    A world body

    Nine national associations found the International Badminton Federation on 5 July 1934.67

  7. 1972

    Olympic preview

    Badminton appears at the Munich Olympics as a demonstration sport.18

  8. 1992

    Olympic medals

    Barcelona hands out the first Olympic badminton medals in four events. Mixed doubles joins in 1996.81

  9. 2006

    Rally point and a new name

    Every rally now scores, with games to 21. The IBF renames itself the Badminton World Federation.39710

  10. 2021

    Paralympic debut

    Para badminton is played at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, held in 2021.11

  11. 2027

    Games to 15

    From 4 January 2027, BWF-sanctioned play switches to 3x15 scoring, approved by member associations in April 2026.412

Sources

12 sources for this page, checked 2 November 2026
  1. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Badminton
  2. Wikipedia: History of badminton
  3. Badminton Asia: The evolution of the badminton scoring system (2020)
  4. BWF: Council proposal, 3x15 scoring system for decision at BWF AGM 2026
  5. Wikipedia: Jianzi
  6. BWF: Celebrating BWF's 90th anniversary (July 2024)
  7. Wikipedia: Badminton World Federation
  8. Olympics.com: Badminton Olympics winners, the full history
  9. Wikipedia: Scoring system development of badminton
  10. VOI: The history of BWF's founding and its purpose
  11. International Paralympic Committee: Badminton set to make Paralympic Games bow at Tokyo 2020
  12. New Straits Times: BWF approves switch to 3x15 scoring system next year (April 2026)