Shuttlers ahoy
P.V. Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Srikanth Kidambi, Lakshya Sen, Prakash Padukone, P. Gopichand… Which game do these Indian sportspersons play? It’s badminton, of course! Played with a shuttle and a racket, badminton can be played as a single or doubles game. Popular in Europe and Asia, the top players are usually from Denmark, China, South Korea and India. The governing body which oversees conduct of tournaments, regulations and fair play is the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The Thomas Cup (for men) and the Uber Cup (for women) are the premier tournaments conducted by BWF. Badminton officially became an Olympic sport in 1992.
In India, badminton is the second-most played sport after cricket. Prakash Padukone was the first Indian player to become World No. 1 in 1980. After this, in 2018, Srikanth Kidambi became the second Indian player to attain the same rank. Among women players, Saina Nehwal was the first Indian to achieve World No. 1 in 2015. She is also the first Indian badminton player to win consecutive medals at the Olympics (a silver in 2016 and bronze in 2020).
Now that you have read up about the game, try this word puzzle. There is a list of 25 words made from the letters of BADMINTON? Can you find them all?