Badminton India
1. Overview
- National Governing Body: Badminton Association of India (BAI) – founded 1934, HQ New Delhi
- Affiliation: BWF (Badminton World Federation) since 1936, IOC-recognized
- First Indian International Medal: 1954 – Dipu Ghosh (Men’s Doubles bronze, All-England).
- Highest World Ranking Achieved: P. V. Sindhu – World No. 2 (BWF Rankings, April 2017).
- Padma Bhushan Badminton Players: Prakash Padukone (1982), Pullela Gopichand (2014), P. V. Sindhu (2020).
2. Golden Timeline
| Year | Event / Feat | Player(s) | Venue / Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | First All-England crown | Prakash Padukone | “Wimbledon of Badminton” |
| 1982 | Asian Games Gold (Team) | Indian Men | New Delhi – 1st Asian team gold |
| 2001 | Only Indian to win Junior World Champs | Saina Nehwal (U-19) | |
| 2012 | London Olympic Bronze | Saina Nehwal | 1st Indian Olympic medal |
| 2016 | Rio Olympic Silver | P. V. Sindhu | Youngest Indian Olympic medallist (21 y) |
| 2017 | BWF World Championship Silver | P. V. Sindhu | Glasgow; 1st Indian in WC final |
| 2018 | 1st BWF World Tour Finals title | P. V. Sindhu | Guangzhou |
| 2019 | World Championship Gold | P. V. Sindhu | Basel – India’s 1st WC gold |
| 2021 | Thomas Cup Winner | Indian Men’s Team | Bangkok – maiden title |
| 2022 | CWG 2022 Medals sweep | 1 G, 2 S, 3 B | Birmingham |
3. Domestic Structure
| Tournament | Started | Organiser | Notability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Open (BWF Super 500) | 1973 | BAI & BWF | India’s oldest international ranking event |
| Premier Badminton League (PBL) | 2013 (as IBL) → 2016 PBL | Pvt. franchise | 6 teams, Dec-Jan window |
| Senior National Championship | 1936 | BAI | Oldest national meet |
| Sub-Junior Nationals | 1971 | BAI | Talent feeder |
4. Government & Institutional Support
- SAI-Pullela Gopichand Academy – Hyderabad (2008) – produced 2 Olympic medallists.
- Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) – launched 2014; Sindhu, Srikanth, Lakshya beneficiaries.
- Khelo India budget 2022-23: ₹3,393 cr – badminton is “Priority-1” discipline.
5. India’s Olympic / Games Tally (Badminton)
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympics (till Tokyo 2020) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Asian Games | 1 | 1 | 8 | 10 |
| Commonwealth Games | 5 | 7 | 12 | 24 |
| BWF World Championships | 2 | 3 | 7 | 12 |
6. Quick-Reference Table – Firsts & Superlatives
| Feat | Player / Event | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Arjuna Awardee (Badminton) | Nandu Natekar | 1961 |
| 1st Dronacharya Awardee (Badminton) | S. M. Arif | 1985 |
| 1st Indian BWF “Player of Year” | Saina Nehwal | 2010 |
| 1st Indian to beat World No. 1 (Men) | Parupalli Kashyap vs. Lee Chong Wei | 2012 |
| 1st Indian to top BWF Men’s Ranking | Kidambi Srikanth | April 2018 |
| 1st Indian Para-badminton WC Gold | Pramod Bhagat (SL-3) | 2019 |
| 1st Indian to win 5 Superseries in a year | Kidambi Srikanth | 2017 |
7. One-Liner Rapid-Revision Facts
- BAI president (2023): Himanta Biswa Sarma (also Assam CM).
- Official Indian team sponsor 2022-24: Li-Ning.
- Indian pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy / Chirag Shetty career-high rank: World No. 5 (May 2023).
- Longest badminton match ever: Satwik-Chirag vs. Ahsan-Setiawan (2022 CWG) – 70 min.
- Only Indian to win Asian Championship twice: Saina Nehwal (2010, 2015).
- India’s Thomas Cup 2022 captain: Srikanth Kidambi.
- First Indian school to win ISF World School Championship: DAV Public School, Ludhiana (2018).
- Para-badminton introduced in Tokyo 2020: India claimed 4 medals (1 G, 2 S, 1 B).
- P. V. Sindhu has won medals at five consecutive World Championships (2013-2022).
- Indian Railways owns Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) – most successful domestic team (25+ National titles).
8. Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQ)
1. Who was the first Indian to win the All-England Badminton Championship?
Ans. Prakash Padukone (1980)
2. The Badminton Association of India (BAI) was established in which year?
Ans. 1934
3. Which Indian shuttler won the country’s first-ever Olympic medal in badminton?
Ans. Saina Nehwal (Bronze, London 2012)
4. P. V. Sindhu clinched India’s first World Championship gold in which year?
Ans. 2019 (Basel)
5. The Indian men’s team won its maiden Thomas Cup in
Ans. 2022 (Bangkok)
6. Who is the only Indian to be ranked World No. 1 in BWF Men’s Singles?
Ans. Kidambi Srikanth (April 2018)
7. First Indian recipient of the Arjuna Award in badminton was
Ans. Nandu Natekar (1961)
8. Which city hosted the 1982 Asian Games where India won men’s team gold?
Ans. New Delhi
9. The Premier Badminton League (PBL) was rebranded from the Indian Badminton League in
Ans. 2016
10. India’s first ever medal at the BWF World Championships came in which discipline?
Ans. Women’s singles (Saina Nehwal bronze, 2010)
11. Which Indian pair holds the record for the longest doubles match (70 min) at CWG 2022?
Ans. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty
12. Who captained the Indian men’s team during the historic 2022 Thomas Cup victory?
Ans. Srikanth Kidambi
13. The Gopichand Badminton Academy is located in
Ans. Hyderabad (Telangana)
14. Which Indian para-shuttler won the gold in Men’s Singles SL3 at Tokyo 2020 Paralympics?
Ans. Pramod Bhagat
15. India’s first junior world champion in badminton was
Ans. Saina Nehwal (2008 BWF World Junior)
16. The Indian Open badminton tournament is classified as BWF
Ans. Super 500 event
17. Who received the Padma Bhushan in 2020 for badminton?
Ans. P. V. Sindhu
End of chapter – revise tables & one-liners daily for 100% scoring in Static GK section.
BETA
