Badminton today is practised by some 140 million players spread over the five continents. It has attained full Olympic status, having featured prominently in the Games held in Barcelona (1992), Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004). It will be equally present, with all its five categories, at the next edition in Beijing, China (2008).

The uniqueness of Badminton is the simplicity of the game itself. The game is played indoors on a court measuring 13.4 x 6.1 metres (roughly, 44 feet x 20 feet). There are five different categories: Men’s and Ladies’ Singles, Men’s and Ladies’ Doubles as well as Mixed Doubles. The Ladies’ Singles is played over the best of three sets of eleven points each; the other categories all play up to fifteen points.

The Badminton Association of Malta was established in 1970. It has around 150 members of different ages and coming from all walks of life. The local Badminton season starts in September and ends around June. During this period, the Badminton Association organises several competitions such as the Team League, the National Senior and Junior Championships as well as the Individual Singles and Doubles Leagues. Beginners and Masters competitions are also held from time to time.

Training courses are also regularly organised for beginners, umpires, PE teachers as well as for aspiring coaches. Badminton training is held regularly during the week at the Cottonera Sports Complex, at St. Aloysius College in B’Kara as well as at St. Martin’s College in Swatar (limits of Msida).

It has also been introduced at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology as well as at several Government secondary schools and Junior Lyceums. Additionally, it is taught to youngsters by the Association’s qualified coaches as part of the “Skolasport” Scheme.

International tournaments are regularly organised locally with the assistance of the Malta Olympic Committee. In this regard, one can mention the “Malta International Youth Tournament” for under-18 players, which has been held annually in mid-October for these last six years.

There is also the “Friendship Trophy” or “Tazza tal-Hbiberija”, an international tournament featuring local and overseas club teams. This event provides the local players with a valuable opportunity to enhance their experience and technique against foreign opposition.

Badminton is a modern sport which is steadily establishing itself on the local sports scene. It is particularly popular among youths. Badminton is also a non-contact sport; hence, the possibility of an injury is rather remote. Regular badminton play keeps you physically fit and healthy; it also relieves you from everyday tension and stress.

Badminton can be found on the Internet. A visit to the website of the European Badminton Union at www.eurobadminton.org will provide a wealth of information and data, including the Rules of the Game as well as the latest international results. One can also visit the attractive site of the local Badminton Association at www.badmintonmalta.org to find detailed information about local clubs as well as about current and forthcoming Badminton activities.

Those who are interested in this sport can contact the Badminton Association of Malta by e-mail on [email protected] or by post at PO Box 599, Valletta CMR 01 as well as on telephone nos. 21697407 / 21312697.