It is with great sadness that The Badminton Museum announces the passing of Tony Jordan, one of the all-time greats in the world of badminton. Tony’s remarkable career is highlighted by his historic achievement of being the first player to reach 100 international caps in our sport. This milestone is particularly incredible when considering the context of his era, which featured far fewer international matches compared to the bustling schedule of today.

In addition to his remarkable achievement of being the first player to reach 100 international caps, Tony Jordan was also honoured as the first recipient of the Member of the Order of the British Empire (M.B.E.) for his outstanding contributions to badminton. This prestigious award is a testament to his dedication, skill, and influence in the sport.

Tony’s dedication, skill, and sportsmanship not only set a benchmark for future generations of players but also helped elevate badminton’s status on the international stage. His contributions to the sport extended beyond the court, inspiring countless athletes to pursue their passion for badminton.

As we reflect on Tony’s legacy, we remember not just his achievements but also the spirit of perseverance and excellence he embodied. The badminton community has lost a true pioneer, and his impact will be felt for years to come. Our thoughts and condolences go out to his family, friends, and all who had the privilege of knowing him.

Rest in peace, Tony Jordan. Your legacy will forever be etched in the history of badminton.

Did a badminton champion lead the way in popularising the wearing of shorts by men players of racquet sports?

It’s been more than 90 years since Bunny Austin shocked Wimbledon by giving up on the white cricket flannels traditionally worn by male tennis players on the grounds their weight slowed him down and reached the 1934 finals in shorts.

But by then Bristol-born Raymond ‘Bill’ White had been playing in shorts for at least three years while winning multiple tournaments on the international badminton circuit, including when reaching the men’s singles finals of the sport’s equivalent of Wimbledon in 1932, and winning the men’s doubles with Donald Hume.

White’s well-documented adoption of shorts and championship titles give him a place of honour in the Badminton Museum, Milton Keynes, where the photo records include one from a1931 England v Ireland international match he played in shorts in London against in Frank Devlin.

There is no evidence, alas, of another alleged wardrobe first by White – that is that he is still the only racquets sports star to report to a major tournament referee dressed in a dinner jacket.

From the mid-30s onwards more and more racquet sport players switched to shorts but long pants continued to be favoured at Wimbledon by France’s Yvon Petre, including when he won the 1946 men’s title. The last Wimbledon player seen in trousers was Trey Waltke, USA, who wore a pair held up by an old school tie for fun during his 2^nd round defeat in 1983 by that year’s eventual semi-finalist, Ivan Lendl…more

Pam Beddard

THE FIRST WOMAN’S SINGLES CHAMPION AT THE ALL-ENGLAND BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIPS – ETHEL THOMSON.

Only three doubles events were played at the first All-England Badminton Championships in 1899. So, it was the next year, 1900, that the tournament was expanded to two days to include the men’s and women’s singles.

In 1900, at the age of 20, Ethel Thomson from Budleigh Salterton, Devon, England, became the first All-England woman’s singles champion. Ethel had to play fellow Devon player Muriel Lucas in the semi-final – they were considered the two best women players in the tournament. At that time, there was no seeding in the Championships; seeding was not introduced to the All-England Badminton Championships until 1932. In the final, Ethel beat Miss E. Mosley from Sutton Coldfield 17-15, 15-11. She also won the women’s singles title in 1901 and 1903, winning the trophy outright in 1904. Before 1979, if an All-England Champion won a trophy for three consecutive championships or four Championships in total, they were awarded the trophy outright. At the 1906 All-England Championships, she was the first woman player to complete the triple, winning the singles, women’s and mixed doubles titles.

At the very first All-England Championships in 1899, Ethel Thomson played women’s doubles with fellow Budleigh Salterton Badminton Club partner Jean Theobald, and they reached the final, only to be beaten by another pair from Devon, Muriel Lucas and Violet Graeme from the Teignmouth Badminton Club.

From 1902, Ethel would team up with Muriel Lucas in the women’s doubles, and they would share the first 11 women’s singles titles of the All-England from 1900 to 1910, with 5 in favour of Thomson and 6 in favour of Lucas. Together, they won 4 All-England women’s doubles titles. It was reported that they never lost a doubles match in tournament play. Ethel Thomson would win 3 All-England mixed titles with George Thomas. She retired from top-class Badminton in 1906 when she married Dudley Larcombe – Secretary of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Club.

Ethel returned to badminton and tennis in 1911. Like many good badminton players of that time, Ethel Thompson was also a top-class tennis player, playing 70 matches at Wimbledon from 1902 to 1921. At the age of 33, she won the Wimbledon Women’s Singles Championships in 1912, and she also added the mixed doubles championship title partnering Cyril Parker from Ireland in 1914.

​Ethel Thomson and Sidney Smith, the first-ever All-England Badminton men’s singles champion in 1900, played tennis mixed doubles together, and they were the mixed doubles Wimbledon All-Comers tournament winners in 1903 and 1904.

Wimbledon, until 1922, had a system where players played in the All-Comers tournament, and then the winner played in the Challenge Round final against the holder of the title from the previous year; the winner of this final would be the Wimbledon champions.

A type of racket used in early All-England Championships and a Jaques ‘Association First Choice’ ‘barrel’ shuttlecock, so-called because its feathers shape closely resembles a barrel. The shuttlecocks were manufactured in France, and in the early days, with no specifications laid down; they suffered from a considerable variation in the length of flight, size, weight and uniform strength. This type of shuttlecock was used in the first 10 years of the All-England Championships.

For more information about the history of the All-England Badminton Championships – Click Here.

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2026 Yonex All-England Badminton Championships

Tuesday 3 March 2026 to Sunday 8 March 2026.

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Visit the Badminton Museum, National Badminton Centre, Bradwell Road, Loughton Lodge, MILTON KEYNES MK8 9LA.

Visitors are welcome to look around the Museum unescorted at any time – The National Badminton Centre is normally open 9am to 8pm every day.

Free Admission.

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Accessibility

The Badminton Museum is on the 1st floor with a lift. Disabled toilet facilities are available on the 1st floor. There is no wheelchair accessibility to the Museum office.

——————————————-

There is a restaurant on the first floor serving breakfasts every day of the week and light lunches on weekdays.

Free parking at the National Badminton Centre.

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National Badminton Centre 

Lodge Hotel.

For more information and to book a room – Click Here.

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If you have any badminton memorabilia, archive material, or any other items and would like to donate them to the Badminton Museum please contact us at: –

 museum@badmintonengland.co.uk

Thank you to all the ‘Friends of the Museum’ and people who have made donations to the Badminton Museum, your support enables us to purchase extremely rare badminton artefacts for the National Collection as they become available.

The First-ever County Open Badminton Tournament.

120 years ago, the Middlesex County Badminton Association organised the first-ever County Open Tournament on January 2nd 1905. It was played at the Ealing Badminton Hall, Kenilworth Road, Ealing, London. With its three courts, the hall was privately run and owned by shareholders. The tournament consisted of men’s, women’s and mixed doubles, and a veteran’s handicap men’s doubles section. The tournament was open to all members of badminton clubs affiliated with the Badminton Association. Slazenger shuttlecocks were used.

It said in the February 1st 1905 copy of the Lawn Tennis and Badminton magazine, which was the official magazine of the Badminton Association at that time. “The promoters of the Middlesex County Championships meeting deserve hearty congratulations on the success of their venture. Their liberal and sporting policy in throwing open their prizes to all comers has been greatly appreciated.”

The tournament was supported by all the best players in England, all the winners were All-England champions.

Ethel Thompson.

Click on the images to enlarge.

The mixed doubles with 11 pairs was won by George Thomas and Ethel Thompson after a close final match with Stewart Massey and Muriel Lucas.

Muriel Lucas and Ethel Thompson.

The women’s doubles event consisted of six pairs and was won by the Devonshire pair of Muriel Lucas and Ethel Thompson without losing a game; the runners-up were Daisy St. John and Dorothea Douglass. Muriel Lucas and Ethel Thompson were an exceptionally strong pairing at that time; It was said they never lost a game in tournament play and won four women’s All-England titles together.

The men’s doubles with eight pairs was won by Stewart Massey and Charles Barnes, with runners-up Dr Henry Marrett and Albert Prebble. Massey and Barnes went on to win the All-England men’s doubles later that year.

 The veteran’s doubles failed to attract more than four pairs, possibly because the age handicap was not announced beforehand. The winners were R. Abbatt and A. Cowley.

Men’s and women’s singles were introduced to the Middlesex Championships 1907. The tournament has continued to be played yearly except for the war years and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Click on the images to enlarge.

                1908 Middlesex Open Championships.

The Middlesex Open Championships moved from the Ealing Badminton Hall to Hampstead Baths in 1947, including the Hampstead Tournament. It then moved to Orion Hall in 1952. Finally, moving to Hounslow Dome in 1987, when the Orion Hall was sold. The Middlesex Open Championships are still played at the Hounslow Dome and are part of the Badminton England tournament circuit.

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2026 Yonex All-England Badminton Championships

Tuesday 3 March 2026 to Sunday 8 March 2026.

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Visit the Badminton Museum, National Badminton Centre, Bradwell Road, Loughton Lodge, MILTON KEYNES MK8 9LA.

Visitors are welcome to look around the Museum unescorted at any time – The National Badminton Centre is normally open 9am to 8pm every day.

Free Admission.

————————————————–

Accessibility

The Badminton Museum is on the 1st floor with a lift. Disabled toilet facilities are available on the 1st floor. There is no wheelchair accessibility to the Museum office.

——————————————-

There is a restaurant on the first floor serving breakfasts every day of the week and light lunches on weekdays.

Free parking at the National Badminton Centre.

—————————————-

National Badminton Centre 

Lodge Hotel.

For more information and to book a room – Click Here.

————————————————–

If you have any badminton memorabilia, archive material, or any other items and would like to donate them to the Badminton Museum please contact us at: –

 museum@badmintonengland.co.uk

Thank you to all the ‘Friends of the Museum’ and people who have made donations to the Badminton Museum, your support enables us to purchase extremely rare badminton artefacts for the National Collection as they become available.

https://badmintonmuseum.com/donations/

81-year-old Mrs Rita Burrows from Katikati in New Zealand contacted the Badminton Museum to see if the Museum would give a safe home to two silver miniature badminton trophies that Sir George Thomas had won in the early 1900s. One was a Scottish Open Men’s Singles trophy that he had won in 1914, and the other was the All-England Men’s Singles trophy that he had won in 1922. The two miniature trophies are now on display at the Badminton Museum, Milton Keynes.

Rita explained how these two trophies had come into her possession; she said that her father, John Farmer, back in 1933 when he was about 12 years old, met Sir George in London and struck up a long friendship with him. Rita said they would meet on Sundays, but the onset of the war made it difficult to meet. Sir George said to my father it would be a good idea if they kept in touch, every year her father would meet up with Sir George on the nearest Sunday to 11 September, her father’s birthday and Sir George would give her father a pound note, this continued right up to 1970. During that time, Sir George gave her father a miniature trophy when he married in 1941 and another in 1943 when Rita was born. Rita said that her father did not play badminton, chess, or tennis; he was interested in engineering and mechanics.

The Scottish Open men’s singles miniature trophy was won in 1914. The Scottish Open tournament started in 1907, and Sir George had won the singles title every year up to 1914 except 1908.

In addition to winning the miniature All-England Cup in 1922, Sir George Thomas also won the perpetual trophy outright after winning the event for three consecutive years. Sir George also won the men’s singles for the fourth time in 1923.

Sir George Thomas served as an army officer in the First World War and contracted lung problems when serving in Mespot and was told that he would never play sport again. So, when the All-England started again after the war in 1920, Sir George, at the age of 38, won his first All-England men’s singles title. It was the first of four consecutive men’s singles titles. In 1921, he won the triple All-England, winning singles, men’s doubles and mixed, and went on to play some of his best badminton in his career; in an interview he gave to the Evening News in 1935, he said that winning the men’s singles in 1920 was his most enjoyable sporting achievement.

In 1928, at the age of 46, Sir George won his last All-England title, a men’s doubles with Frank Hodge. This made a total of 21 titles; he still holds the record of winning the most All-England titles.

Photos: – Geoff Hinder.

Click on images to enlarge.

For more information about the history of the All-England Badminton Championships – Click Here.

For more information about Sir George Thomas – Click Here. 

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2026 Yonex All-England Badminton Championships

Tuesday 3 March 2026 to Sunday 8 March 2026.

——————————————–

Visit the Badminton Museum, National Badminton Centre, Bradwell Road, Loughton Lodge, MILTON KEYNES MK8 9LA.

Visitors are welcome to look around the Museum unescorted at any time – The National Badminton Centre is normally open 9am to 8pm every day.

Free Admission.

———————————————-

Accessibility

The Badminton Museum is on the 1st floor with a lift. Disabled toilet facilities are available on the 1st floor. There is no wheelchair accessibility to the Museum office.

——————————————-

There is a restaurant on the first floor serving breakfasts every day of the week and light lunches on weekdays.

Free parking at the National Badminton Centre.

—————————————-

National Badminton Centre 

Lodge Hotel.

For more information and to book a room – Click Here.

———————————————–

If you have any badminton memorabilia, archive material, or any other items and would like to donate them to the Badminton Museum please contact us at: –

 museum@badmintonengland.co.uk

Thank you to all the ‘Friends of the Museum’ and people who have made donations to the Badminton Museum, your support enables us to purchase extremely rare badminton artefacts for the National Collection as they become available.

https://badmintonmuseum.org/donations/

The Badminton Museum has had a purple feathered battledore shuttlecock circa 1870 donated to the National Shuttlecock Collection.

The shuttlecock has a brown velvet base with a wool trim and 26 purple feathers. It has a diameter of 100 mm (4 “) x 125 mm (5 “) in length and a base diameter of 45 mm (1 ¾”); the shuttlecock is about twice the size of a modern shuttle, and it weighs 14 grams, which is over twice the weight of a modern shuttle. We believe the shuttlecock was made in England.

The game of ‘battledore and shuttlecock’ dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The roots of the game have been reported to go back to ancient times in China and other Asian countries. The game was played with rackets, battledores and even wooden paddles. ‘Battledore and shuttlecock ‘was played without a net and without the boundary lines of a court. If a single player played, they would hit the shuttlecock in the air counting the number of times they could do this without it falling on the floor. If two or more players played they would hit the shuttlecock back and forth to each other, it was usually a cooperative rather than a competitive game, the players purposely hit the shuttlecock towards rather than away from each other, their goal was to have as long a rally as possible keeping the shuttlecock up in the air and counting the number of consecutive successful strokes in each rally. The present-day game of badminton developed from this much older game of ‘battledore and shuttlecock’. Badminton was being played in at least 1863 and maybe a few years before that.

For more information on the game of Battledore and Shuttlecock – Click Here.

This shuttlecock and many more can be seen at the Badminton Museum, National Badminton Centre, Bradwell Road, Loughton Lodge, MILTON KEYNES MK8 9LA

The Badminton Museum would like to thank Jim Warner,  http://www.jimstennis.com  for the Battledore Shuttlecock.

Photos: – Geoff Hinder                              Click on images to enlarge

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2026 Yonex All-England Badminton Championships

Tuesday 3 March 2026 to Sunday 8 March 2026.

—————————————————

Visit the Badminton Museum, National Badminton Centre, Bradwell Road, Loughton Lodge, MILTON KEYNES MK8 9LA.

Visitors are welcome to look around the Museum unescorted at any time – The National Badminton Centre is normally open 9am to 8pm every day.

Free Admission.

———————————————-

Accessibility

The Badminton Museum is on the 1st floor with a lift. Disabled toilet facilities are available on the 1st floor. There is no wheelchair accessibility to the Museum office.

——————————————-

There is a restaurant on the first floor serving breakfasts every day of the week and light lunches on weekdays.

Free parking at the National Badminton Centre.

—————————————-

National Badminton Centre 

Lodge Hotel

For more information and to book a room – Click Here.

———————————————–

If you have any badminton memorabilia, archive material, or any other items and would like to donate them to the Badminton Museum please contact us at: –

 museum@badmintonengland.co.uk

Thank you to all the ‘Friends of the Museum’ and people who have made donations to the Badminton Museum, your support enables us to purchase extremely rare badminton artefacts for the National Collection as they become available.

https://badmintonmuseum.org/donations/

Visit the Badminton Museum, Milton Keynes, England.

Photos: – Geoff Hinder

Click on images to enlarge

————————————-

Accessibility

The Badminton Museum is on the 1st floor with a lift. Disabled toilet facilities are available on the 1st floor. There is no wheelchair accessibility to the Museum office.

———————————–

There is a restaurant on the first floor serving breakfasts every day of the week and light lunches on weekdays.

Free parking at the National Badminton Centre.

—————————————-

Visit the Badminton Museum, National Badminton Centre, Bradwell Road, Loughton Lodge, MILTON KEYNES MK8 9LA.

Visitors are welcome to look around the Museum unescorted at any time – The National Badminton Centre is normally open 9am to 8pm every day.

Free Admission.

————————————————–

National Badminton Centre 

Lodge Hotel

For more information and to book a room – Click Here.

————————————————-

If you have any badminton memorabilia, archive material, or any other items and would like to donate them to the Badminton Museum please contact us at: –

 museum@badmintonengland.co.uk

Thank you to all the ‘Friends of the Museum’ and people who have made donations to the Badminton Museum, your support enables us to purchase extremely rare badminton artefacts for the National Collection as they become available.

https://badmintonmuseum.org/donations/

Yonex Nanoflare 1000 Z racket.

India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy broke a decade-old Guinness world record for the fastest shot ever in badminton, 351 miles per hour (565 km per hour), using a Yonex Nanoflare 1000 Z racket with BG80 strings.

          Satwiksairaj Rankireddy (India)

Pearly Tan from Malaysia also set a new record for the fastest female badminton hit with a remarkable speed of 272 miles per hour (438 km per hour). Pearly Tan became the first female Guinness World Records title holder in this category.

Pearly Tan (Malaysia)

Photos: – Badminton Photo.                  Click on images to enlarge.

The records were set on 14 April 2023 at the Yonex Tokyo factory and verified by official judges from the Guinness World Records. Measurement method: the moment of impact in the actual smash was calculated using a high-speed camera. The instant velocity of the shuttlecock after the impact was then calculated from photographic recording. Calculation method: the movement distance and the elapsed time of the shuttlecock were calculated between two coordinates.

Rankireddy’s record speed of 351 miles per hour (565 km per hour) greatly exceeded the previous world record of 306 miles per hour (493 km per hour) which was achieved by Malaysian badminton player Tan Boon Heong in May 2013. Tan Boon Heong was a former Asian Games doubles champion.

These new records show that badminton is significantly faster than other racket sports. The fastest tennis serve is 163 miles per hour (263 km per hour) and faster than Formula One, at 246 miles per hour (397 km per hour).

For more information about the history of the All-England Badminton Championships – Click Here.

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Yonex Nanoflare 1000 Z racket on display at the Badminton Museum, Milton Keynes.

2026 Yonex All-England Badminton Championships

Tuesday 3 March 2026 to Sunday 8 March 2026.

——————————————-

Visit the Badminton Museum, National Badminton Centre, Bradwell Road, Loughton Lodge, MILTON KEYNES MK8 9LA.

Visitors are welcome to look around the Museum unescorted at any time – The National Badminton Centre is normally open 9am to 8pm every day.

Free Admission.

——————————————-

Accessibility

The Badminton Museum is on the 1st floor with a lift. Disabled toilet facilities are available on the 1st floor. There is no wheelchair accessibility to the Museum office.

—–—————————————

There is a restaurant on the first floor serving breakfasts every day of the week and light lunches on weekdays.

Free parking at the National Badminton Centre.

—————————————-

National Badminton Centre 

Lodge Hotel.

For more information and to book a room – Click Here.

——————————————-

If you have any badminton memorabilia, archive material, or any other items and would like to donate them to the Badminton Museum please contact us at: –

 museum@badmintonengland.co.uk

Thank you to all the ‘Friends of the Museum’ and people who have made donations to the Badminton Museum, your support enables us to purchase extremely rare badminton artefacts for the National Collection as they become available.

https://badmintonmuseum.org/donations/ 

The History of Badminton at the Olympic Games.

1972 Munich Olympic Games.

Demonstration Sport.

It was only in the mid-1960s that efforts were made to include badminton in the Olympic programme.
Badminton history was made at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games when for the first time it was included as a Demonstration Sport. The demonstration event was held on 4 September on two courts in a volleyball hall, over 3000 spectators enjoyed the action on the single day it was played. The demonstration took the form of an Invitation Tournament organized by the German Badminton Association under the auspices of the International Badminton Federation. (IBF) (now BWF).

Twenty-five players from eleven nations took part and both singles and men’s and mixed doubles were held. Owing to the lack of available time no women’s doubles were included. Interestingly, several entries in the double’s events were mixed teams of players from different nations a practice not allowed in official medal events at the Olympic Games since 1904.

In the men’s singles, Rudy Hartono (Indonesia) again showed his pre-eminence and decisively defeated Svend Pri (Denmark) in the final, but only after having been extended fully by Jamie Paulson of Canada, in the first two games of the first round.

Derek Talbot and Gillian Gilks (Great Britain) show their superiority in the mixed doubles event, winning without losing a game although fully extended in the last game of the final by Svend Pri and Ulla Strand (Denmark). Both played extremely well and Gillian’s interceptions at the net were outstanding.

The tournament was an undoubted success and the play was much appreciated by the enthusiastic crowd. Winners and runners-ups received gold and silver medals presented by the International Badminton Federation. It was said at the time that the German Badminton Association which staged the demonstration, should be congratulated on its success and on the hard work put in by its officials.

Final Results.

Men’s Singles: – Rudy Hartono (INA)  bt.  Svend Pre (DEN) 15-6, 15-1.

Women’s Singles: – Noriko Nakayama (JPN)  bt.  Utami Dewi (INA) 11-5, 11-3.

Men’s Doubles: – Ade Chandra and Christian Hadinata (INA)  bt.  Ng Boon Bee and Punch Gunalan (MAS) 15-4, 15-2.

Mixed Doubles: – Derek Talbot and Gillian Gilks (GBR) bt.  Svend Pri and Ulla Strand (DEN) 15-6, 18-16.

At last, badminton had appeared in connection with the Olympic Games, they were hoping that it may be selected as part of the Olympic Games proper in Canada in 1976.

The Great Britain players were Gillian Gilks, Derek Talbot & Elliot Stuart all from England.

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Progress Stalled.

In 1978 progress stalled as a sensitive political issue rose to the forefront. A parallel body called World Badminton Federation (WBF) was formed on 24 February 1978; 13 Asian and 6 African associations became part of the breakaway group. The split of the IBF derailed its ambitions for badminton in the Olympics.

Efforts at rapprochement were made from both sides. On 26 May 1981 a ‘Deed of Unification’ was signed in Tokyo by the IBF and WBF.

The unification of the world body reignited its Olympic hopes. International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Juan Antonio Samaranch attended the IBF World Championships in 1983, the event produced some exhilarating displays of badminton and so impressed Samaranch that he was convinced badminton had a place in the Olympic programme.

Juan Antonio Samaranch

Finally, Badminton would become an Olympic Sport.

Mainly through the efforts of Stellan Mohlin and Craig Reedie who had been International Badminton Federation (now BWF) Presidents, badminton was finally accepted into the Olympic Games at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting in East Berlin in 1985. It would have been perfect for badminton to take part in the Seoul Olympics in 1988, but the Olympic Charter says that there should be a period of seven years for the introduction of a new sport. The Badminton World had to wait until Barcelona in 1992 for the game to become an Olympic medal sport.

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Poul-Erik Nielsen President of the IBF receiving the Olympic flag from James Worrall, senior Canadian IOC member at the 4th World Badminton Championships, Calgary, Canada, in 1985.

Photo: – Louis Ross.

Click on the images to enlarge.

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​1988 Seoul Olympic Games.

Exhibition Sport.

Sixteen years after Munich at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, badminton reappeared, but this time as an Exhibition Sport; this caused problems as the I.O.C. only recognizes Demonstration sports, not Exhibitions, but the Korean Badminton Association presented the event after the Korean Organizing Committee had invited badminton to attend. The other problem was as it was not a Demonstration sport the players were not allowed to stay in the Olympic Village or march at the opening ceremony with their national teams. All the badminton players stayed in six apartments in Seoul, which provided all the facilities of a good hotel. The Seoul National University Gymnasium was used as the venue, and almost a full house of 5,000 spectators watched 30 of the world’s best players display their talents. The Korean Badminton Association presented the event and made it look like an Olympic Sport.

The only Great Britain player invited to play was Darren Hall from England who took part in the men’s singles and lost in the Bronze medal match.

Final Results.

Men’s Singles: – Yang Yang (CHN)  bt.  Icuk Sugiato (INA) 15-4, 15-2.

Women’s Singles: – Hwang Hye-Young (KOR)  bt.  Han Aiping (CHN) 1-11, 11-8, 11-6.

Men’s Doubles: – Li Yongbo and Tian Bibgyi (CHN)  bt.  Lee Sang-Bok and Lee Kwang-Jin (KOR) 15-11,15-7.

Women’s Doubles: – Kim Yun-Ja and Chung So-Young (KOR)  bt.  Lin Ying and Guan Weizhen (CHN) 15-11, 14-17, 15-5.

Mixed Doubles: – Park Joo-Bong and Chung Myung-Hee (KOR)  bt.  Wang Pengren and Shi Fangjing (CHN) 15-3, 15-7.

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1992 Barcelona Olympics Games.

Debut as an Official Medal Sport.

Badminton had its debut as an official medal sport at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. At 10 am on 28 July 1992 the long-cherished dream of millions of badminton fans finally materialized. Foo Kok Keong of Malaysia struck the first shuttlecock in the Olympic badminton history in the brand-new Pavella de la Mar Bella, Barcelona saw 178 players from 37 countries take part. Four events were held in the first competition of the sport: men’s & women’s singles, men’s & women’s doubles, no mixed doubles were played at this first medal badminton Olympics.  The tournament was run as a knockout competition and no playoffs were contested for semi-final losers, meaning that two bronze medals were awarded. The on-court action justified all the hard work that had gone into bringing badminton to the Olympics. An early-round woman’s doubles match – between Gill Clark/Julie Bradbury (England) and Rosiana Tendean/Erma Sulistianingsih (Indonesia) was so compelling that TV viewership reportedly was 150 million.

Susi Susanti Wins the First-ever Gold Medal for Badminton.

For Indonesia, these first Games for badminton provided two Olympic champions when Susi Susanti won the first-ever gold medal for badminton and two hours later, her fiancée Allan Budi Kusuma won the second Olympic gold medal for Indonesia in the men’s singles.

Photos: – Preben B. Soberg.

Click on the images to enlarge.

Allan Budi Kusuma (Indonesia).

Photos: – Preben B. Soberg.

Click on the images to enlarge.

Korea would win all the gold medals in the double’s events with Hwang Hye-Young and Chung So-Young winning the woman’s doubles and Park Joo-Bong and Kim Moon-Soo the men’s doubles. There was no mixed doubles event at this Olympics.

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Hwang Hye-Young and Chung So-Young (Korea).

Of the 16 medals awarded, Asia won 15, and Thomas Stuer- Lauridsen won a bronze in men’s singles for Denmark.

The television viewing figures were enormous, and the new sport had made its initial impact. Badminton associations worldwide joined their national Olympic committees, and money to develop the sport began to flow in.

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1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

Mixed Doubles would be played for the first time in the Olympics and there would be a play-off for the bronze medal.

Mixed Doubles was introduced at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, making badminton one of the few sports where men and women share the field of play. As well as the four events were held in Barcelona, and an additional change to the tournament was the play-off game for the Bronze medal rather than awarding two bronzes. The tournament was held at the Georgia State University Gymnasium. Of the 15 medals awarded, 14 went to Asia again, and Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen from Denmark won the Gold medal in men’s singles. He was the first European male to win a gold medal at the games.

Bang Soo-Hyun (Korea).

Korea’s Bang Soo-Hyun, who won the silver medal at Barcelona, would win the gold medal in the final, playing against Indonesia’s 16-year-old Mia Audine.

Poul-Erik was the first European badminton men’s player to win a gold medal at an Olympic Games.

Ricky Subagia and Rexy Mainaky (Indonesia) won the men’s doubles gold medal in one of the closest fought matches on medal day against Malaysian’s Chea Soon Kit and Yap Kim Hock.

The Chinese pair of Ge Fei and Gu Jun would win the woman’s doubles gold medal, they went to the Olympics with an almost unbeaten record as the top woman’s doubles pair, heading the Grand Prix points table, being Yonex All-England Champions and World Grand Prix final victories in 1994 and 1995. This would be the first gold medal for China in the Olympic Games.

Ge Fei and Gu Jun (China).

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2000 Sydney Olympics Games.

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The 2000 Olympics took place in Sydney in Australia from 15 September to 1 October and the badminton competition was held at Pavilion 3, Sydney Olympic Park. China won the majority of the badminton medals available at this Olympics, winning 4 of the 5 golds, 1 silver and 3 of the 5 bronzes. They had a clean sweep in the woman’s doubles event winning all the medals. Denmark’s Camilla Martin would be the first European woman to win a medal at an Olympic Games when she received the silver medal in the woman’s singles.

The final of the men’s singles saw China’s seventh seed, Ji Xinpeng, beat second seed Hendrawan (Indonesia).

In the women’s singles, Camilla Martin had to settle for silver after losing to the top seed, Gong Zhichao of China, in the final. Martin led 10-7 the first game, but lost 13-10, 11-3.

After beating the world and Yonex All-England Men’s Doubles champions Ha Tae Kwon and Kim Dong Moon from Korea, the Indonesians Gunawan and Wijaya would be favourites in the final. The final was another Indonesia v Korea, with Gunawan and Wijaya beating the second seeds, Lee Dong Soo and Yoo Yong Sung, 15-10, 9-15, 15-7 to win the gold medal.

Seeding went according to plan in the all-Chinese woman’s doubles final with world champions Ge Fei and Gu Jun, who had rarely been beaten since winning the Olympic gold medal in Atlanta in 1996, outplaying Huang Nanyan and Yan Wei 15-5, 15-11.

Great Britain Win Their First Olympic Medal.​

Simon Archer and Jo Goode (Great Britain).

Photos: – Preben B. Soberg.

Great Britain won their first Olympic medal, a Bronze in the Mixed Doubles, despite Archer suffering from a chest injury, which he unfortunately picked up in the quarter-finals. Simon Archer and Jo Goode beat Denmark’s Michael Sogard & Rikke Olsen in three sets in the Bronze match, but it could easily have been Silver if not Gold. In the Semi-Finals, Archer and Goode lost to Indonesian top seeds Tri Kusharyanto & Minarti Timur 2-15, 17-15, 15-11 after leading 10-1 in the second game.

China took four out of five gold medals on offer at the Sydney 2000 Games – the legendary Ge Fei and Gu Jun won their second consecutive Olympic gold in women’s doubles, Gong Zhichao won the women’s singles gold, Zhang Jun and Gao Ling took the mixed doubles title, but the biggest shock of all was in the men’s singles when eighth seed Ji Xinpeng won the title against the odds. China did not win the gold medal when Indonesians Tony Gunawan and Candra Wijaya won the men’s doubles.

Of the 15 medals, Asia won 13, Denmark 1 when Camilla Martin from Denmark won silver in the women’s singles and Great Britain 1 bronze in the mixed doubles.

The badminton event was a huge success from the near-perfect conditions for both players and officials, to the sell-out crowds for all but the first round of matches.

Gold medalist in the mixed doubles Zhang Jun and Gao Ling (China).

Photo: – Preben B. Soberg.

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2004 Athens Olympic Games.

Gold and Silver Medalists at Athens 2004.

Men’s Singles – Taufik Hidayat (Indonesia) bt. Shon Seung-mo (Korea) 15-8, 15-7.

Woman’s Singles – Zhang Ning (China) bt. Mia Audina (Netherlands) 8-11, 11-6, 11-7.

Men’s Doubles – Kim Dong-moon and Ha Tae-kwon (Korea) bt. Lee Dong-soo and Yoo Yong-sung (Korea) 15-11, 15-4.

Woman’s Doubles – Zhang Jiewen and Yang Wei (China) bt. Huang Sui and Gao Ling (China) 7-15, 15-4, 15-8.

Mixed Doubles – Zhang Jun and Gao Ling (China) bt. Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms (Great Britain) 15-1, 12-15, 15-12.

Great Britain went one stage further than in 2000 with Nathan Robertson & Gail Emms winning the Silver Medal losing to Zhang Jun & Gao Ling (China) the 2000 winners 15-1, 12-15, 15-12. Tracey Hallam saved two match points in the third game to beat Camilla Martin (Denmark) the 2000 silver medalist to reach the quarter-finals but lost to the eventual Silver medal winner Mia Audina (now playing for Netherlands).

Paul Andjelkovic from England known throughout the badminton world as ‘Big Paul’ – was taking part in his third Olympics, helping ensure the smooth running of the badminton tournament. In recognition of his services to badminton, the International Badminton Federation (IBF) (now BWF) President Korn Thapparansi of Thailand presented him with the IBF Council’s Meritorious Service Award. The award is only presented for exceptional services to the sport, rather than just holding office or winning trophies. Paul went on to be involved with two more badminton Olympic events, Beijing 2008 and London 2012.

Photo: – Chris Miller.

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2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

The badminton competition was held from 9 August to 24 August at the Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium. With 173 competitors from 50 nations.

Gold and Silver Medalists at Beijing 2008.

Men’s Singles – Lin Dan (China) bt. Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) 21-12, 21-8.

Women’s Singles – Zhang Ning (China) bt. Xie Xingfang (China) 21-12, 10-21, 21-18.  Zhang Ning became the first women’s singles gold medalist to retain her title.

Men’s Doubles – Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan (Indonesia) bt. Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng (China) 12-21, 21-11, 21-16.

Women’s Doubles – Du Jing and Yu Yang (China) bt. Lee Kyung-won and Lee Hyo-jung (Korea) 21-15, 21-13.

Mixed Doubles – Lee Yong-dae and Lee Hyo-jung (Korea) bt. Nova Widianto and Lilyana Natsir (Indonesia) 21-11, 21-17.

For Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms (Great Britain) the 2008 Beijing mixed doubles was tough for the defending silver medal winners from Athens due to Injuries denying them results and costing them seeding and Robertson last moment ankle operation followed by four months without match practice. They had to play the world number one pair in the first round which they won then they lost to the eventual gold medal winners from Korea in the second round.

All the other GB players had tough draws losing in the 2^nd round for the singles players and the other doubles pairs losing in the 1^st round. All 15 medals went to Asia with China winning 8.

Lan Lu (China)

Photo: – IOC – Richard Juilliart

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2012 London Olympics Games.

At the London 2012 Olympics badminton was held at the Wembley Arena which was originally used for swimming in the 1948 London Olympics, also it had been the home of the All-England Badminton Championships from 1957-1993.
172 athletes from 50 different countries would perform at one of the worlds iconic badminton venues, with every seat for every session sold months before the event, a fantastic atmosphere and excitement would be created at the Wembley Arena.

Badminton history was a part of the London 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony when a man and woman dressed in Victorian costumes were seen playing badminton. They represented Britain’s past history of inventing and developing sports games. A few days later, the wooden rackets they used in this ceremony were sold for hundreds of pounds on the London 2012 auction site.

London 2012 saw the introduction of group competition followed by knock-out. This resulted in more match play for competitors and a significant increase in television production hours. For the first time, the earlier rounds in all events would be played in groups and the winner of the groups in singles would go through to the knockout rounds and in the doubles, the winner and runner-up would go through to the knockout rounds. This caused problems in the final rounds of the group games in the Women’s Doubles as players knew who they would play if they won, so one Chinese pair, two Korean pairs and one Indonesian pair tried to lose in their matches with players hitting out of court and serving into the net. All four pairs were disqualified from the Tournament for unethical play and later they were given bans from the Badminton World Federation.
Photos: – Alan Spink – Action Photography. Click on the images to enlarge.

A Clean Sweep of Gold Medals for China.

The men’s singles final would be a repeat of 2008 Beijing: Lin Dan (China) versus Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia). It was truly a seesaw battle of 77 minutes, and Lin Dan became the first men’s singles gold medalist to retain his title.

In the third game of the all-Chinese woman’s singles final, third seed Li Xuerui proved too strong on the day turning the Chinese form book upside down, defeating her top-seeded teammate Wang Yihan to take the gold medal.

The Danes Mathias Boe and Cartsten Mogensen were the only Europeans to reach the finals. They had encountered the Chinese pair of Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng eight times before and only twice had the Danes been victorious. Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng would win 21-16, 21-15 to become the first Chinese pair to win a men’s doubles gold.

The main upset in the women’s doubles competition came in the group stages due to the disqualification of four pairs for unethical play. The final would be between Qing Tian and Zhao Yunlei of China and the Japanese pairing Mizuki Fujii and Reika Kakiiwa. The first set was an easy win for the Chinese pair. However, in the second game, Fujii and Kakiiwa piled on the pressure, saving three match points before the Chinese eventually lifted the gold medals 25-23.

The final of the mixed doubles would be another all-Chinese affair. China’s No.1 pair Zhanf Nan and Zhao Yunlei dominated the tournament as they ploughed through the group and quarter-final stages winning every match in two straight games. The final would not be any different when they duly wrapped up the title in 45 minutes beating Xu Chen and Ma Jin 21-11, 21-17. Zhao Yunlie would be the first badminton Olympian to win two gold medals at the same Games.

Players from China won all of the gold medals. The Chinese team also collected two silvers and one bronze. Asia won 12 medals, with China winning 8, Denmark 2, Malaysia 1, Japan 1, Korea 1, India 1, and Russia 1.

Photos: – Alan Spink – Action Photography.                                                          Click on the images to enlarge.

Lin Dan (China) Men’s singles gold medalist.

Li Xuerul (China) Woman’s singles gold medalist.

Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng (China) Men’s doubles gold medalist.

Tian Qing and Zhae Yunlei (China) Woman’s doubles gold medalist.

Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) Men’s singles silver medalist.

Some of the hundreds of “Games Makers” at the badminton event.

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2016 Rio Olympics Games.

Carolina Marin (Spain) women’s singles gold medalist.

Photos: – Alan Spink – Action Photography.
Click on the images to enlarge.

With the problems that had arisen at the London 2012 badminton event, where players were trying to lose games in the group play-offs, it was decided that at Rio 2016, there would be draws after the group stage matches to prevent players from anticipating their opponents in the knockout stages.

The First European Woman to Win a Gold Medal.

History was made with Carolina Marin from Spain being the first European woman to win a gold medal when she won the gold in the women’s singles also Spain’s first Olympic badminton medal.  Japan also won their first Olympic badminton gold medal in the women’s doubles.

Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia), playing in his third consecutive Olympic men’s singles final, received his third silver medal.

Photo: – IOC – Ian Jones.                                                     Click on the images to enlarge

Great Britain Wins its First Men’s Doubles Medal.

In the men’s doubles, Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge (Great Britain) arrived in Rio ranked 22nd in the world before embarking on a giant-killing crusade, toppling the third, fifth, and eighth-ranked pairs on their way to medal history. In the semi-finals, they lost to the eventual gold medal winners, China’s Fu Haifeng and Zhang Nan.

​

In the bronze play-off match against Chai Biao and Hong Wei (China), Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge won a tense first game 21-18 with the Chinese pair snatching the second game 19-21. The British pair won the final game 21-10, but only after a review into the last point after a Langridge serve, and it was called out, which cranked up the tension with the pair suspecting they were seconds away from the bronze medal, the call was overruled by Hawkeye. They are the first British players to win a men’s doubles medal in an Olympic Games.

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2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

In 1964, Tokyo was the host of the summer Olympic Games which had 163 events.

The games were scheduled for 2020 but owing to the Covid 19 crisis they were moved to 2021.

Photos: – Badminton Photo.                                                                                                                       Click on images to enlarge.

Mixed Doubles Results

Viktor Axelsen (DEN)

Chen Yu Fei (CHN) and Tai Tzu-Ying (TPE)

Lee Yang/Wang Chi-Lin (TPE)

Wang Yi Lyu/Huang Dong Ping (CHN)

Wang Yi Lyu/Huang Dong Ping (CHN)

Photos: – Badminton Photo.

Click on the images to enlarge.

Para-Badminton at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games.

Para-badminton made its Debut at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games.

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2024 Paris Olympics Games

Badminton Schedule

27 July 2024 to 5 August 2024

At Paris 2024, 171 athletes from 49 nations competed in the badminton competition. The events of men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles were  contested across 10 days of competition with five gold, silver, and bronze medals awarded.

The Porte de la Chapelle Arena, an eco-design venue thought out for a legacy to benefit neighbouring communities well beyond the Games, is a new cultural hub to the north of Paris hosting a range of cultural and sporting events each day, including the home games of Paris Basketball. This new facility is designed to be open to all (especially people living nearby) and to offer a variety of sports activities in its complementary spaces. With its mid-size capacity of 8,000 seats, the Porte de la Chapelle Arena will further strengthen the choice of sport and live performance venues available throughout Paris.

La Chapelle Arena’s design is distinctly eco-friendly. 80 per cent of the building’s surface is covered with greenery, blending gracefully into the parks and gardens that surround the site. The front is clad with recyclable aluminium and most of the building materials are bio-based (principally wood). The arena’s design is also universal: the main hall, the facilities around it and the terrace over the entire complex will be accessible to everyone.

Legacy

Paris has needed a mid-size venue for a long time. This new 8,000-seat arena fulfills that need, hosting major sports events in northern Paris and providing Paris Basketball, its resident club, with a home base befitting its bold aspirations.

The surrounding neighbourhood also needs more sports facilities, and the two gyms adjoining the arena will provide them. Residents are now able to enjoy a wide array of cultural events at the arena, including live performances and conventions. After the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Porte de la Chapelle Arena will host top-level sports tournaments, live performances and other events in its main hall, and its gyms and other facilities will be open every day for people living in the area.

Viktor Axelsen from Denmark, who won the men’s singles gold medal in Tokyo, and Lee the Yang and Wang Chi-Lin from Chinese Taipei, who won gold medals in the men’s doubles in Tokyo, all won second gold medals at the 2024 Paris  Olympics.

MD – Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin (Chinese Taipei).

Photos: – Badminton Photo.

Click on images to enlarge.

MS – Silver-Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Thailand), Gold-Viktor Axelsen (Denmark), Bronze-Lee Zii Jia (Malaysia).

MD – Silver-Liang Wei Keng & Wang Chang (China), Gold-Lee Yang & Wang Chi-Lin (Chinese Taipei), Bronze-Aaron Chia & Soh Wooi Yik (Malaysia).

XD – Silver-Kim Won Ho & Jeong Na Eun (Korea), Gold-Zheng Si Wei & Huang Ya Qiong (China), Bronze-Yuta Watanabe & Arisa Higashino (Japan).

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Olympic Badminton Results – 1992 to 2024

Click on images to enlarge

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Visit the Badminton Museum, National Badminton Centre, Bradwell Road, Loughton Lodge, MILTON KEYNES MK8 9LA.

Visitors are welcome to look around the Museum unescorted at any time – The National Badminton Centre is normally open 9am to 8pm every day.

Free Admission.

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Accessibility

The Badminton Museum is on the 1st floor with a lift. Disabled toilet facilities are available on the 1st floor. There is no wheelchair accessibility to the Museum office.

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There is a restaurant on the first floor serving breakfasts every day of the week and light lunches on weekdays.

Free parking at the National Badminton Centre.

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National Badminton Centre 

Lodge Hotel.

For more information and to book a room – Click Here.

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If you have any badminton memorabilia, archive material, or any other items and would like to donate them to the Badminton Museum please contact us at: –

 museum@badmintonengland.co.uk

Thank you to all the ‘Friends of the Museum’ and people who have made donations to the Badminton Museum, your support enables us to purchase extremely rare badminton artefacts for the National Collection as they become available.

https://badmintonmuseum.org/donations/

​ The Badminton Museum is a small charity administered by volunteers. Help preserve the history of badminton by making a donation or becoming a ‘Friend of the Museum’. Any donations to the Badminton Museum will help us to expand the collection of memorabilia, books, and documents to make these items readily available to all.

2026 Yonex All-England Badminton Championships

Tuesday 3 March 2026 to Sunday 8 March 2026.

At the Utilita Arena, Birmingham.

The First All-England Mixed Doubles Trophy from 1899

The All-England Mixed Doubles Championship Challenge Cup has recently been acquired by the Badminton Museum. The cup was first presented at the very first All-England Badminton Championships in 1899, the first winners were English pair D. M. Oakes and Miss Daisey St John. The trophy was presented to the winners, who also received 2 guineas (£2.10p), with the runners-up receiving 1 guinea.

Originally the cup would have had a wooden plinth base with a silver band where the winner’s names would have been engraved. The cup is silver and hallmarked in London in 1897 by Edward Barnard and Sons Ltd. The cup is now on display at the Badminton Museum in Milton Keynes.

In 1921, the first perpetual All-England mixed doubles cup was won outright by Sir George Thomas and Hazel Hogarth after they won it at three consecutive Championships – in 1914, 1920 and 1921 (there were no championships between 1915 and 1919 due to the First World War). Sir George and Hazel also won the mixed doubles title again in 1922.

Before 1979 if an All-England Champion won a trophy for three consecutive Championships or four Championships in total, they were awarded the trophy outright.

Sir George Thomas won a total of 21 All-England titles and Hazel Hogarth won a total of 11 titles.

Like many good standard badminton players of that time, they were also good standard tennis players. Hazel Hogarth and Sir George Thomas played tennis together at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships from 1913 to 1926.

For more information on: –

Sir George Thomas – Click Here.

The history of the All-England Badminton Championships – Click Here.

At the 1921 All-England Championships, Sir George Thomas and Hazel Hogarth were also presented with a pair of miniature silver trophies when they won the mixed doubles title.

The Badminton Museum also has the third perpetual All-England mixed doubles trophy on display. This trophy was won outright in 1935 when Donald Hume and Betty Uber won the title for the third consecutive year. They also won the mixed doubles title for the fourth time in 1936.

Donald Hume and Betty Uber

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2026 Yonex All-England Badminton Championships

Tuesday 3 March 2026 to Sunday 8 March 2026.

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Visit the Badminton Museum, National Badminton Centre, Bradwell Road, Loughton Lodge, MILTON KEYNES MK8 9LA.

Visitors are welcome to look around the Museum unescorted at any time – The National Badminton Centre is normally open 9am to 8pm every day.

Free Admission.

————————————————–

Accessibility

The Badminton Museum is on the 1st floor with a lift. Disabled toilet facilities are available on the 1st floor. There is no wheelchair accessibility to the Museum office.

——————————————-

There is a restaurant on the first floor serving breakfasts every day of the week and light lunches on weekdays.

Free parking at the National Badminton Centre.

—————————————-

National Badminton Centre 

Lodge Hotel.

For more information and to book a room – Click Here.

———————————————————–

If you have any badminton memorabilia, archive material, or any other items and would like to donate them to the Badminton Museum please contact us at: –

 museum@badmintonengland.co.uk

Thank you to all the ‘Friends of the Museum’ and people who have made donations to the Badminton Museum, your support enables us to purchase extremely rare badminton artefacts for the National Collection as they become available.

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