Impress your friends

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  Badminton originated in India during British colonisation and was named after English nobleman the Duke of Beaufort’s country home, Badminton House

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  Badminton first appeared as an Olympic sport at the Barcelona 1992 Games, with mixed doubles and bronze medal matches introduced at Atlanta 1996

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  At the Atlanta 1996 Games, Danish player Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen was celebrated as the first and only non-Asian player ever to win a badminton gold medal

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  At the London 2012 Games, China’s Lin Dan won his second Olympic gold and one year later became the first player to win five world titles

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  China has won over half of all the Olympic badminton medals that have been contested, with only nine other nations having reached the podium

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  In one match, each player makes an average 2,000 strokes, and within just 20 seconds the shuttlecock is usually hit around 40-50 times

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  Shuttlecock speeds depend on variables such as atmospheric pressure and the temperature of the competition venue, but can reach almost 400 kmph (248 mph)

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  Brazil has never qualified for Olympic badminton, but as host country it will compete for the first time at the Rio 2016 Games