Badminton began as 'poona'

Badminton was called poona in India, where the modern badminton originated, according to www.sportsknowhow.com. British Army officers brought game to England and was called battledore and shuttlecock. Battledore and shuttlecock was played in groups, with each group hitting the shuttlecock with a battledore, or a paddle, back and forth towards each other. In 1873, the Duke of Beaufort and his guest played the game at a lawn party on his country estate, called Badminton. The game became an instant hit among the British elite and soon people began calling it "the Badminton game." Afterwards, badminton clubs sprung all throughout Englad, and in 1893 the Badminton Association of England was formed. The association standardized the rules governing the sports and organized the then most prestigious badminton tournament, the All-England Badminton Championships. In 1934 the International Badminton Federation was born, composed of founding members Canada, Denmark, England, France, Ireland, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales. The IBF today counts more than 150 countries as members. - GMANews.TV