BADMINTON FACTS

· 140 countries are members of the International Badminton Federation

· The world's fastest racket sport: a shuttle can leave the racket at a speed of almost 200 mph

· A badminton player can cover more than one mile in just one match

· A shuttlecock weighs between 4.74 and 5.50 grams

· The best shuttles are made from the feathers from the left wing of a goose

· 16 feathers are used to make a shuttle

· The biggest shuttle in the world can be found on the lawns of the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum, inKansas City - 48 times larger than the real thing, 18 feet tall and weighing 5000 pounds

· The Thomas Cup, the men's world team championships, has been won by only three countries since it began in 1948 - Malaysia, Indonesia and China

· The only time the Uber Cup, the women's world team championships, was won outside Asia was by the USA in 1957, 1960 and 1963; other holders are China, Indonesia and Japan

· It is an American, Judy Hashman, who holds the record number of All-England titles - 17 in total

· The first US championships in Chicago in 1937 were played on 21 courts

· Famous personalities who play badminton include Paul Newman, Diego Maradonna and Nick Faldo

· Badminton's history dates back to Ancient Greece and the early Far-Eastern civilisations; versions of the game, sometimes using a foot instead of a racket, have been depicted on pottery around 3000 years ago, in China

· Once known as battledore and shuttlecock, the game as we know it today took its name from Badminton House in Gloucestershire, England - home of the Duke of Beaufort

· Badminton became an Olympic sport in 1992

· More than 1.1 billion people watched badminton's Olympic debut on TV

· The two most successful badminton countries are China and Indonesia which between them have won 70% of all IBF events

· Crowds of up to 15,000 are common for major badminton tournaments in Malaysia