Badminton shuttlecocks have been clocked at 493 km/h, making it the fastest racket sport in the world. This 50-question quiz covers the full sweep of the game: from the 16 goose feathers on a regulation shuttlecock to China's dominance at the Olympics, from Lin Dan's legendary rivalry with Lee Chong Wei to the 2012 London scandal that saw eight players disqualified for deliberately losing matches. Whether you follow the BWF World Championships or just know badminton from school, this quiz will test you thoroughly.
With an estimated 220 million regular players worldwide and the Badminton World Federation boasting 194 member associations, badminton is one of the most played sports on the planet. Yet outside Asia it rarely gets the spotlight it deserves. From the All England Open (first held in 1899 and still the sport's most prestigious club tournament) to the Olympic stage where China has won 18 gold medals, there is far more to badminton than a garden game.
Each round presents 10 randomized multiple-choice questions drawn from a pool of 50, so every playthrough is different. You get instant feedback with explanations after each answer, plus a shareable score at the end.
You'll cover shuttlecock physics, court dimensions, the history of Olympic badminton from Barcelona 1992, legends like Lin Dan and Carolina Marín, team competitions like the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup, and the global spread of the sport from Indonesia to India.
Badminton's dominance in Asia stems from decades of investment, cultural enthusiasm, and government-backed programmes in China, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, and Malaysia. Indonesia treats the sport as a national identity, while China's academy system has produced world-beaters across every event. The sport's low equipment cost also makes it accessible at every socioeconomic level across the continent.
Malaysian player Tan Boon Heong recorded a shuttlecock speed of 493 km/h in a 2013 testing environment — the highest ever recorded. In competitive play, Danish player Mads Pieler Kolding registered the fastest in-game smash at 426 km/h. For comparison, the fastest tennis serve ever recorded was around 263 km/h.
Lin Dan of China is widely considered the greatest ever. Nicknamed ‘Super Dan’, he won Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012 and claimed five BWF World Championship titles. His rivalry with Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei, who finished runner-up at three consecutive Olympics, is one of sport’s great head-to-head battles.
Last updated: March 2026