Badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players p ...

is a sport contested at the

Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The ina ...

. Badminton was first held as a

demonstration sport A demonstration sport, or exhibition sport, is a sport which is played to promote it, rather than as part of standard medal competition. This occurs commonly during the Olympic Games, but may also occur at other sporting events. Demonstration spor ...

at the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 19 ...

, and was an exhibition sport at the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

; the men's and women's singles and doubles have been held at every Summer Olympics since the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

. The mixed doubles badminton tournament started in the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

. The

Badminton World Federation The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the international governing body for the sport of badminton recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It was founded in 1934 as the International Badminton Federation (IBF) with nine membe ...

(BWF) rankings are used to determine the qualification of the players for the tournament. Nations can enter a maximum of two players each in the men's and women's singles if both are ranked in the world's top 16; otherwise, one quota place until the roster of thirty-eight players has been completed. Similar regulations also apply to the players competing in the doubles, as the NOCs (National Olympic Committees) can enter a maximum of two pairs if both are ranked in the top eight, while the remaining NOCs are entitled to one until the quota of 16 highest-ranked pairs is filled. The host nation, if it has not already qualified two competitors, receives at least either two singles players or one pair.

Gao Ling Gao Ling (; born 14 March 1979) is a Chinese former badminton player. Career Noted for her consistency, anticipation, forecourt prowess, and sporting smile, Gao is one of the most successful doubles players in the history of women's badminton. ...

is the all-time leader for the most Olympic medals in badminton, with two gold, one silver, and one bronze;

Fu Haifeng Fu Haifeng (born 23 August 1983) is a Chinese former badminton player. He is regarded as one of the greatest men's doubles players of all time. Sport career Combining Fu Haifeng's impressive power with his regular partner Cai Yun's impressive ...

(two gold, one silver), Zhang Nan, Zhao Yunlei and

Kim Dong-moon Kim Dong-moon (Hangul: 김동문, Hanja: 金東文; born 22 September 1975) is a retired South Korean badminton player who won major titles between the mid-1990s and the mid-2000s (decade), and widely regarded as one of finest men's doubles and m ...

(two gold, one bronze) each,

Gil Young-ah Gil Young-ah (born April 11, 1970 in Ansan, Gyeonggi-do) is a former female badminton player from South Korea. At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, she won the bronze medal in the women's doubles together with Shim Eun-jung. Four years la ...

and

Chen Long Chen Long (; ; born 18 January 1989), is a Chinese former professional badminton player. He is the 2016 Olympic champion, two-time World champion, and an Asian champion. Chen was a former World number 1, occupying the top men's singles ranki ...

(one of each) and

Lee Chong Wei Datuk Lee Chong Wei (; born 21 October 1982) is a Malaysian former badminton player. As a singles player, Lee was ranked first worldwide for 349 weeks, including a 199-week streak from 21 August 2008 to 14 June 2012. He is the fifth Mala ...

(three silver) are second for the most medals in badminton, each with three.

, Ge Fei,

Gu Jun Gu Jun (; born 3 January 1975) is a Chinese former badminton player. Career Gu and her regular partner Ge Fei were the world's dominant women's doubles team from the mid-1990s to their retirement after the 2000 Olympics. They won over thirty t ...

Lin Dan Lin Dan (born 14 October 1983) is a Chinese former professional badminton player. He is a two-time Olympic champion, five-time World champion, as well as a six-time All England champion. Widely regarded as the greatest badminton player of a ...

, Zhang Jun, Zhang Nan,

Zhang Ning Zhang Ning (; born 19 May 1975) is a former Chinese badminton player. She won the Olympic gold medal twice for women's singles in both 2004 and 2008. She has played badminton on the world scene since the mid-1990s and has been particularly succes ...

and Zhao Yunlei are the all-time leaders for the most gold medal wins, with two. In the 1992 Summer Olympics, future married couple

Susi Susanti Lucia Francisca "Susi" Susanti Haditono (; born 11 February 1971) is an Indonesia retired badminton player. Relatively small of stature, she combined quick and graceful movement with elegant shotmaking technique, and is regarded by many as one o ...

and

Alan Budikusuma Alexander Alan Budikusuma Wiratama (born 29 March 1968, as Goei Djien Phang; ) is a former Indonesian badminton player who excelled at the world level from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s. Career In 1991 he was runner-up to China's Zhao Jianh ...

won Indonesia their first ever Olympic gold medals since their first Olympic participation in

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

, while brothers Jalani and

Razif Sidek Datuk Razif Sidek (born 29 May 1962) is a former badminton player from Malaysia and coach. Personal life He is the second eldest of the famous five Sidek brothers. Razif and his siblings gained exposure about badminton sport from their fath ...

were the first Malaysian Olympic medalists since Malaysia first participated the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this h ...

Mia Audina Mia Audina Tjiptawan (born 22 August 1979) is a former Indonesian badminton player who represented Indonesia and later the Netherlands in international competitions. A badminton prodigy, Audina first played Uber Cup (the women's world team champi ...

won her first silver in the 1996 Olympics representing Indonesia, but won her second silver in the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

with the Netherlands, the only badminton medalist to ever win for two different countries. In the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...

, China swept the women's doubles tournament, winning all three medals, making it the only sweep in Olympic badminton history. Indonesia also did so in the 1992 Olympics men's singles tournament, but there was no bronze medal match in that Games so the medal was shared with Danish player

Thomas Stuer-Lauridsen Thomas Stuer-Lauridsen (born 29 April 1971) is a Danish badminton player. Career Stuer-Lauridsen won bronze in the 1992 Olympic Games. He also played at the 1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI ...

. In the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, th ...

, China became the first country to win all five disciplines' gold medal in history, and as of 2020 the only to sweep all five in the same Games. Indonesia became the second to achieve this feat, stretching from its first gold in the 1992 women's singles to 2020 women's doubles. As of the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

, China has been the most successful nation in badminton, winning 47 medals; 33 of them were from the women's singles and doubles and mixed doubles tournaments. Indonesia (21 medals) and South Korea (20 medals) are the only other nations to have more than nine medals. As many as 121 medals (39 gold, 39 silver, and 43 bronze) have been awarded to 153 medalists from 12 NOCs. There were four additional bronze medal winners in the 1992 Summer Olympics because no bronze medal matches were played in any of the four tournaments. __NOTOC__

Men

Men's singles

Men's doubles

Women

Women's singles

Women's doubles

Mixed

Mixed doubles

Statistics

Medal leaders

Medal table

''Updated after the 8th edition (

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

)''

Medal distribution

''Updated after the 8th edition (

)''

Men's singles

Men's doubles

Women's singles

Women's doubles

Mixed doubles

Medals per year

''Updated after the 8th edition (

)''

References

;General * * * * * ;Specific {{featured list

Medalists *

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...

Men

Men's singles

Men's doubles

Women

Women's singles

Women's doubles

Mixed

Mixed doubles

Statistics

Medal leaders

Medal table

Medal distribution

Men's singles

Men's doubles

Women's singles

Women's doubles

Mixed doubles

Medals per year

See also

References