Badminton - A Dying Sport in India

Badminton - Not so popular anymore

I have been labeled a "Tom-boyish" girl right from my childhood days. I barely had any interest in sitting at home playing with Barbie look-alikes or fake kitchen sets. I was always out there with the boys and (some) girls, getting myself dirty while playing games such as, "Hide-n-Seek", "Chor-Police" and the like.

I guess the liking for aggressive out-door activities was built in me right from the start and was further encouraged by my family. Both of my older siblings actively participated in sporting activities in school and inter-school levels. My dad in the early 1980s started a sportswear manufacturing unit in Mumbai and went on to establish a well-renowned brand in India, today.

During the late 80s and early 90s, one can say that Badminton as a sport was at its peak. At that time I used to play with my friends and was also enrolled in coaching practice at Juhu Gymkhana. With only three badminton courts and around 50-odd kids cribbing to get themselves on them, it used to be really difficult for the officials in charge, to handle the situation at times.

Even the schools at that time, encouraged the game and had it included in their sports curriculum. I remember going to different cities such as Pune, Nagpur, New Delhi, etc. with my school as a member of the Badminton team. It was totally amazing to watch the kids in higher-age categories taking their game seriously and not giving up till the very last point. Girls much shorter and leaner than me were so agile and quick on the court that at times they resembled Wonder Women.

Badminton's history is as interesting as the game itself. According to some it was invented by the Duke of Beaufort in 1870 when he and his guests played the game at his home, Badminton Hall in Avon. But a few others claim that it based on a game once played in India in the 17th century. And some have mixed the above two and have come up with another theory that Badminton Hall gave its name to the sport and India was where the rules of the game were established.

Surprisingly it was not just cricket that was popular during the British Raj. Badminton was extremely popular among the British Army officers stationed in India. The first Badminton Association was founded in England in 1893 and the International Badminton Federation and the All India Badminton Association in 1934.

The two most well-known Indian Badminton players who dominated the world-rankings are Prakash Padukone (now retired) and Pullela Gopi Chand.

However, the once very popular sport in India is now walking the road of extinction. The very same courts that were once upon a time crowded with eager children, today remain empty most of the day. Reasons could be plenty - more number of younger sports enthusiasts opting for popular games such as Cricket, Long Tennis, Chess, etc., popularity of video games and cartoon channels among the kids, schools giving less importance to sporting activities, lack of proper and adequate facilities provided by the government and local clubs and lack of district and state-level tournaments.

Not only as a professional sport, Badminton has also been on a decline also as a fitness game. Previously many adults would play the game in order to maintain their weight and other fitness levels but these days thanks to the growing popularity of the gym culture, these people prefer enrolling themselves there.

It's really sad to see that a sport which in all probability was invented by our fore-fathers and has existed for centuries, today has a very grim future ahead. Another reason for this state could be blamed on the concerned sports authorities, for not being to capitalize on its popularity during its hey day.

The All India Badminton Association needs to get its act together and come up with an appropriate plan of action. Or else our future generation will only read about this amazing sport in their history books.

Some facts about Badminton worth knowing:

• Badminton is the fastest racket sport in the world.
• The game also dates back to ancient Greece and China as well, and was called battledore and shuttlecock.
• Badminton was originally played as a cooperative sport, where the goal was mainly to keep a rally going as long as possible.
• The shuttle-cock can travel off the racket at speeds up to 200 miles per hour.
• Men's and women's singles, doubles, and mixed doubles have been Olympic sports since 1992.
• More than 140 countries are now affiliated with the International Badminton Association.
• The use of goose feathers in shuttlecocks has been stopped by the Indian government and they have been replaced with light-weight plastic shuttles. Though in top-level matches, the originals are used.
• The game rules have changed this year - from a 15 point game, it's now a 21 point game. Points can be scored irrespective of who is serving.

UPDATE:

There seems to some good news on the Indian Badminton front. Check this out.

It's been a dramatic week for Indian badminton. First, 16-year-old Saina Nehwal annexed the coveted Philippines Open title; then came the news that former All-England champ Pullela Gopi Chand would take over as the new national coach.

An announcement from the Badminton Association of India (BAI) states that starting 2007, India will mark its presence on the prestigious Asian circuit, with its very own $100,000 five-star Indian Open. Sporting giants Yonex-Sunrise have inked an agreement to sponsor the tournament for the first three years. [Link]