Badminton is an indoor game in which the contestants bat a shuttlecock back and forth across a net without permitting the shuttlecock to touch the ground. The object of the game is to hit the shuttlecock to the floor on the opposite side of the net, so that the shot cannot be returned. Only the serving player can score a point. from a rally. Badminton singles is played by two opponents and doubles by teams of two people.

The game of badminton owes its origin and development in India, to the English army officers. The sport assumed wide popularity in India. Its first rules were printed in Karachi, which was then a part of India, in 1877. Indian badminton developed, with the first major game in Britain, where the first major international badminton meet began in 1899 under the name now popular as the All England Championships. The game of badminton was put on organisational basis in India, in the 1920's. All India Tournaments began to be organised in the middle of the thirties.

The Badminton Association of England was formed in 1893 with rules based on those drawn up at Karachi. From England it spread to Denmark and U.S.A. The International Badminton Federation was formed in 1934. The two famous matches of badminton are the Thomas Cup for men and the Uber Cup for women.

Davinder Mohan, Amrit Dewan, Nandu Natekar, Prakash Nath etc. were some of the famous Indian badminton players. Nandu Natekar was the first Indian to win a title abroad - the Men's singles in the Selangor International Tournament in Kuala Lumpur in 1956. Prakash Padukone was among the world's best badminton players.