London 2012 Olympic Games: Badminton

See the world's best Badminton players compete at the London 2012 Olympic Games in a game of skill, positioning and quick reactions.

Badminton at London 2012

Badminton has only been a regular Olympic sport since the 1992 Barcelona Games, but it remains one of the most entertaining, as the shuttlecock is hit frantically between players with lightning-quick reactions.

London 2012 will see 172 athletes compete for five gold medals in both individual and doubles contests. Each match is contested on a "best of three games" basis, with each game played to a score of 21 points.

World-class competitors will be returning to London for the second year running, following the YONEX BWF World Badminton Championships in London in 2011.

Badminton at the Olympic Games

A game with Indian and English roots, Badminton is still popular in these regions, but in recent years Indonesia, South Korea and China have been the teams to beat.

China prevailed with three of the five gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, while Korea and Indonesia gained one apiece.

In fact, of the 15 medals on offer, only one was secured by a country other than these three powerhouses of the sport – Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei won silver in the men's singles.