Badminton premiered as a full-medal Olympic sport at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, and has continued as a full-medal sport since then. The sport's inclusion marked a significant milestone for what was already one of the world's most popular racquet sports.

The sport was first held as a demonstration sport at the 1972 Summer Olympics. In 1988 it again appeared at the Olympics as an exhibition sport. See more about these badminton demonstrations.

A Mixed Doubles event was added to the Olympic Games for the first time in Atlanta in 1996, expanding the competitive opportunities and showcasing the sport's team dynamics.

badminton game

Badminton was first held as a demonstration sport at the 1972 Summer Olympics.

Badminton Events at the Olympics

There are five medal events at the Olympic Games, featuring competitions for men and women in singles and doubles format, plus a mixed doubles event. This structure has remained consistent since the mixed doubles addition in 1996.

Men's Singles

Individual competition featuring the world's top male players competing for Olympic gold.

Women's Singles

Individual competition showcasing elite female badminton athletes.

Men's Doubles

Team event featuring pairs of male players competing together.

Women's Doubles

Team event featuring pairs of female players competing together.

Mixed Doubles

Team event with one male and one female player per pair, added in 1996.

Olympic Qualification Process

The qualification system for Olympic badminton is highly competitive and based on world rankings and performance in major international competitions.

  • Players qualify for the Olympic Games through their world rankings, based on their performances in such events as the Thomas Cup, the Uber Cup, the World Championships, Grand Prix events and other international and continental championships. The host nation is allowed at least two entries in the Olympic competition.
  • No country may have more than three players or pairs in any event, and that involves only players or pairs ranked in the top 16. The limit is two per country if a player or pair ranked 17th to 64th is involved, or one if a player or pair ranked below 64th is involved.
  • Each event will include at least one player or pair from each region — Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania and the Americas.

💡 Pro Tip: The Olympic qualification period typically runs for about a year before the Games, so athletes must maintain consistent high-level performance throughout this period to secure their spot.

Notable Facts and Records

Historic Firsts

  • Denmark's Poul-Erik Høyer is the only non-Asian badminton player ever to win an Olympic gold medal. He won the men's singles event in 1996, making him a historic figure in the sport.
  • In 2012, for the first time there was a combination of group play and knockout stages. During the round-robin group play of the women's doubles, four teams were accused of trying to lose in order to manipulate the draw, and were subsequently disqualified from the competition. This incident led to changes in Olympic badminton format.

Greatest Champions

The best all-time performing badminton player at the Olympic Games is female player Gao Ling of China, who played from 2000 to 2008, winning two gold, one silve, and one bronze medal. See more on the Greatest Badminton Players at the Olympics.

"Asian nations have dominated Olympic badminton since its inception, with China, Indonesia, and South Korea accounting for the vast majority of medals. The sport requires exceptional speed, agility, and strategic thinking at the Olympic level."
— Robert J. Wood, PhD, Founder of Topend Sports