Badminton

From Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium

Badminton is a game played by players on opposite sides of a net hitting a shuttlecock (a small conical object with a weight at one end and feathering or weave at the other) over the net with wire-strung rackets. If a player strikes the shuttlecock in such a manner that the opponent cannot return it before it hits the ground, the player scores.

Because shuttlecocks do not travel as far as balls, (due to their open design, shuttlecocks slow down faster than balls) badminton can be played in a smaller area than a game like tennis, and so it has been a popular choice for indoor sport in schools with limited indoor facilities.

Badminton is played in informal settings all over the world. It is also an Olympic sport. Competitive contests are played in singles, doubles and mixed doubles matches. Competitive badminton is always played indoors because a shuttlecock is greatly affected by wind.