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Khelo India — Ministry of Youth Affairs & SportsTarget Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) — MYAS via Mission Olympic CellSAI Sports Training Centre (STC) — Sports Authority of IndiaNational Sports Development Fund — MYASNational Coaching Development Scheme — SAIShiv Chhatrapati State Sports Award — Govt. of MaharashtraHaryana Medal Reward Policy — Govt. of HaryanaKhelo India — Ministry of Youth Affairs & SportsTarget Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) — MYAS via Mission Olympic CellSAI Sports Training Centre (STC) — Sports Authority of IndiaNational Sports Development Fund — MYASNational Coaching Development Scheme — SAIShiv Chhatrapati State Sports Award — Govt. of MaharashtraHaryana Medal Reward Policy — Govt. of Haryana
Racquet

Badminton

India is a top-5 nation, led by world and Olympic medallists. · 166 athlete profiles on SportSupport

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Reviewed profileAchievements, tournaments, coaches and FAQs on this page are compiled by hand from federation, government and press reporting, drawing on BAI, BWF. These are not cited to individual documents: we hold no per-claim source for them, so treat dates, counts and career records here as a summary rather than a reference. Sections we hold nothing for are left empty. Sport pages last reviewed as a set: September 2026.

Overview

Origin
British India
Category
Racquet
Olympic discipline
Yes
Paralympic discipline
No
Central pathway
Olympic (TOPS eligible)
Athlete profiles on SportSupport
166

Governance and status

Each field below is shown only where we hold a source for it; anything else reads “Not currently verified” rather than a guess. Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition is granted year by year, so it is only ever shown with the year it applies to. Last reviewed: September 2026.

Indian governing/organising body
BAI
Ministry recognition
Badminton Association of India — Annual recognition renewed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports — as at 2026Source: Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports — List of recognised National Sports Federations
International federation
Not currently verified
Khelo India inclusion
On the official Khelo India Games discipline list as "Badminton"Source: Sports Authority of India / Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports — Discipline wise Participation in all editions of Khelo India Games (19th Edition) (2026-08-29)
TOPS eligibility
In scope — TOPS covers Olympic medal prospects
Olympic status
On the Olympic programme
Paralympic status
Not a Paralympic discipline

Badminton is listed on SportSupport in the racquet category. Its recorded origin is British India. It is on the Olympic programme. We list BAI as the Indian governing/organising body for the sport.

India is a top-5 nation, led by world and Olympic medallists.

Badminton is on the pathway that runs through India's national sports federations to the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), with selection running through BAI against its published benchmarks. Being on this pathway is not itself a statement that the discipline is currently in TOPS — TOPS covers a Core Group and a Development Group chosen by the Mission Olympic Cell. Badminton appears on the official Khelo India Games discipline list as "Badminton", so junior talent identified by the discipline's selectors can be considered under Khelo India Talent Identification & Development (KITID). (Source: Sports Authority of India / Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports — Discipline wise Participation in all editions of Khelo India Games (19th Edition).)

Indian Achievements

Hand-reviewed Olympic, Paralympic, World, Asian and Commonwealth milestones for India in badminton, compiled from the sources listed on this page. Last reviewed: September 2026.

  • P. V. Sindhu — Olympic Silver (Rio 2016) and Olympic Bronze (Tokyo 2020); only Indian woman with two individual Olympic medals.
  • Saina Nehwal — Olympic Bronze (London 2012); former World No. 1.
  • P. V. Sindhu — BWF World Champion 2019 (first Indian to win a World Championship gold).
  • Thomas Cup 2022 — India won its first-ever men's team world title, beating Indonesia in Bangkok.
  • Prakash Padukone — All England Open Champion 1980 (first Indian to win the title).
  • Pullela Gopichand — All England Open Champion 2001 (only second Indian to win it).

Famous Indian Players

Landmark badminton names from India, past and present.

  • P. V. Sindhu
    Two-time Olympic medallist, World Champion 2019.
  • Saina Nehwal
    Olympic bronze 2012; first Indian woman to reach World No. 1.
  • Prakash Padukone
    1980 All England Champion; former World No. 1.
  • Pullela Gopichand
    2001 All England Champion; chief national coach.
  • Kidambi Srikanth
    Former World No. 1; World Championship silver 2021.
  • Lakshya Sen
    World bronze 2021; CWG gold 2022; All-England finalist 2022.
  • Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty
    World No. 1 men's doubles; Asian Games gold 2022, CWG gold 2022.

Notable Coaches

Head coaches and mentors behind India's leading badminton results.

  • Pullela Gopichand
    Chief National Coach — coached Saina, Sindhu, Srikanth to world honours.
  • Anup Sridhar
    P. V. Sindhu's coach; former Indian No. 1.
  • Vimal Kumar
    Prakash Padukone Academy head; former national coach.
  • Mathias Boe (Denmark)
    Doubles coach behind Satwik-Chirag's rise.
All coaches directory →

Scholarships & Funding

Central, state and private scholarships available for badminton athletes in India.

  • Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy scholarships

    Full-scholarship residential slots at Hyderabad for identified junior talent.

  • Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (Bengaluru)

    Scholarship and stipend programme for junior boys and girls.

  • Khelo India Talent Identification & Development (KITID)

    Monthly stipend (₹10,000 for selected Khelo India athletes), boarding, coaching and kit at accredited centres for talent identified through the Khelo India selection process (Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports). Applies only to disciplines on the official Khelo India Games list, and only to athletes it selects.

  • Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS)

    Central government scheme covering training, foreign exposure, equipment and an out-of-pocket allowance (up to ₹50,000/month) for athletes inducted by the Mission Olympic Cell. The Sports Authority of India names badminton among the scheme's high-priority disciplines, though induction is still decided athlete by athlete.

  • National Sports Development Fund (NSDF)

    Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports fund used to sponsor elite athletes' training, foreign coaches and equipment. Allocations are made case by case; we hold no record of NSDF support specific to badminton.

Explore all government schemes →

Indian Players

166 profiles
Page 1 of 4
All badminton athlete profiles →

Rules

Played as singles or doubles with a shuttlecock hit over a net using rackets. Matches are best-of-three games to 21 points (rally point scoring — a point is won on every serve regardless of who served). A side must win by 2 points, capped at 30.

Authoritative rulebook: BAI. Age-group and school-level variations are published by SGFI and the state associations each season.

Playing field

Court length
13.4 m
Court width
6.1 m for doubles; 5.18 m for singles
Net height
1.524 m at the centre; 1.55 m over the side lines for doubles

The BWF Laws give the full-court diagonal as 14.723 m, and 13.4 m × 6.1 m produces a diagonal of 14.7231 m — the federation's own figure confirms the court dimensions.

Source: BWF Statutes Section 4.1, Laws of Badminton

Officials

Referee
In overall charge of the tournament or championship
Umpire
In charge of the match, the court and its immediate surrounds
Service judge
Calls service faults made by the server
Line judges
Indicate whether a shuttle landed in or out

Source: BWF Laws of Badminton, Law 17

Match format

Game
First to 21 points
Extended play
At 20-all the side gaining a two-point lead wins; at 29-all the side scoring the 30th point wins
Match
Best of three games

Source: BWF Laws of Badminton, Law 7

Olympic history

Debut
1992 Barcelona with four events — men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles; mixed doubles added in 1996

Source: Badminton (Wikipedia)

Positions

Typical roles across racquet sports. These are category-level descriptions, not a sourced badminton squad list.

  • Singles
    One-on-one match — the standard individual format for ranking events.
  • Doubles
    Two-a-side format with different court coverage and serve/return patterns.
  • Mixed doubles
    One male and one female partner — a distinct discipline at multi-sport meets.

Equipment

Standard kit and infrastructure required to train and compete in badminton at a federation-recognised event.

  • Badminton racket
  • Shuttlecock (feather or synthetic)
  • Net (1.55m at posts)
  • Non-marking court shoes

Governing/organising body

Body listed on SportSupport

Badminton Association of India is the body we list as the Indian governing/organising body for Badminton. Its recognition status as we hold it: Annual recognition renewed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (as at 2026). Recognition is granted year by year, so read the federation profile for the source.

Origin
British India
Olympic
Yes
Paralympic
No
Category
Racquet

Major Indian Events

Domestic competitions we hold a source for in badminton.

  • Senior National Badminton Championship

    BAI's flagship senior singles and doubles nationals.

  • Junior & Sub-Junior Nationals (U-19, U-17, U-15, U-13)

    Age-group national championships.

  • Yonex-Sunrise India Open (Super 750)

    BWF World Tour Super 750 event held in New Delhi.

  • Syed Modi International (Super 300)

    BWF World Tour tournament in Lucknow.

  • Premier Badminton League (PBL)

    Franchise-based team league (BAI-sanctioned, previously annual).

International Events

Continental and world-level competitions we hold a source for in badminton.

  • Olympic Games (Badminton)

    Singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

  • BWF World Championships

    Annual world championship (except Olympic years).

  • Thomas Cup / Uber Cup

    Men's and women's team world championships.

  • Sudirman Cup

    Mixed-team world championship.

  • All England Open

    Oldest and most prestigious tournament (Super 1000).

  • BWF World Tour Finals & Super Series

    Top-8 season-ending event; Super 1000/750/500/300 tour.

Leagues

Franchise and professional leagues catalogued for badminton. Full season data, champions and schedule filters are available in the sidebar.

  • Domestic · Since 2013
    Premier Badminton League

    Brings world's top shuttlers to Indian cities each season.

  • International · Since 2008
    India Open

    India's flagship BWF World Tour stop, held annually in New Delhi.

  • International · Since 1899
    All England Open

    The sport's oldest and most prestigious open tournament.

  • International · Since 1977
    BWF World Championships

    BWF's annual individual world championship across all five disciplines.

  • International · Since 1949
    Thomas Cup

    Men's team world championship of badminton; India won historic gold in 2022.

  • International · Since 1957
    Uber Cup

    Women's team world championship of badminton.

All leagues →

International Players

Globally recognised badminton athletes to know outside India.

  • Viktor Axelsen (Denmark)
    Two-time Olympic champion (Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024) and World Champion (2017, 2022).
  • Chen Long / Lin Dan (China)
    Two of the most decorated men's singles Olympic champions.
  • An Se-young (South Korea)
    Olympic Champion Paris 2024; multiple-time World Champion.
  • Chen Yufei (China)
    Olympic Champion Tokyo 2020.

Career Options

Ways to build a career in badminton — on the field, on the sidelines and behind the scenes.

  • Full-time professional on the BWF World Tour with BAI backing
  • BAI / BWF certified coach; academy owner
  • BWF-certified umpire / referee
  • Stringing, kit and shuttle-manufacturing specialist
  • Sports quota jobs (Railways, ONGC, Air India, Petroleum Sports Board)
  • Broadcast, commentary and content careers

Related academies

57 listed
  • Pullela Gopichand Badminton AcademyElite
    Hyderabad, Telangana · Since 2008

    Birthplace of Saina Nehwal and P. V. Sindhu's Olympic medals.

  • Prakash Padukone Badminton AcademyElite
    Bengaluru, Karnataka · Since 1994

    Founded by India's first All-England champion.

  • Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports, PatialaElite
    Patiala, Punjab · Since 1961

    Asia's largest sports institute and SAI's flagship coach-education and training campus.

  • Olympic Gold Quest HPCElite
    Mumbai, Maharashtra · Since 2001

    Foundation backing India's leading Olympic medal contenders with full athlete support.

  • Khelo India State Centre of Excellence, PanchkulaState
    Panchkula, Haryana

    Haryana's Khelo India State Centre of Excellence at the Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex.

  • Centre for Sports ExcellenceElite
    Bengaluru, Karnataka

    Bengaluru multi-sport high-performance centre across 24 acres, formerly the Padukone–Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence.

  • Netaji Sports Complex, Sri Vijaya PuramNational
    Sri Vijaya Puram, Andaman & Nicobar Islands

    Andaman & Nicobar's notified Khelo India State Centre of Excellence for swimming, badminton and cycling. Khelo India records it as non-operational with no trainees.

  • SAG Sports Complex, Campal, PanajiNational
    Panaji, Goa

    Goa's Khelo India State Centre of Excellence at the Sports Authority of Goa complex in Campal, Panaji.

  • Rajiv Gandhi School of Sports, UppallamNational
    Puducherry, Puducherry

    Puducherry's Khelo India State Centre of Excellence at Uppallam. Recorded as operational but with no trainees on the Khelo India list.

  • Veer Bahadur Singh Sports College, GorakhpurState
    Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh · Since 1988

    Uttar Pradesh's 48.7-acre residential sports college at Gorakhpur, established 1988-89, with 320 trainees and every cost borne by the state.

  • Major Dhyan Chand Sports College, Saifai, EtawahState
    Etawah, Uttar Pradesh · Since 2014

    Uttar Pradesh's residential sports college at Saifai, Etawah, established 2014-15, running eight disciplines for classes 6 to 10.

  • Delhi Sports SchoolState
    New Delhi, Delhi

    Delhi's fully residential government sports school on Shamnath Marg, run under Delhi Sports University for grades VI to XII across ten Olympic sports.

Government Schemes

8 listed

Central and state schemes that fund training, stipends and awards for badminton athletes and academies.

All government schemes →

FAQs

Common questions about badminton in India.

Who governs Badminton in India?▾

We list BAI as the Indian governing/organising body for Badminton, and state associations affiliated to it run age-group and state-level competition. We hold no current-year Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition record for it, so this is not a statement that it is currently a recognised national sports federation — recognition is granted year by year.

Is Badminton an Olympic sport?▾

Yes, Badminton is on the Olympic programme. Athletes selected by BAI against its published criteria can be considered for TOPS funding.

How do I start playing Badminton in India?▾

The usual routes are a school team under the School Games Federation of India (SGFI), a college team under the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), or a private academy affiliated to your state association under BAI. Age-group state championships follow from there.

What government schemes support Badminton athletes?▾

The Sports Authority of India names Badminton among the Target Olympic Podium Scheme's high-priority disciplines, so medal-prospect athletes in it can be considered for TOPS support, and state governments give cash awards to medallists at events they notify. (Source: Sports Authority of India — https://sportsauthorityofindia.nic.in/sai_new/target-olympic-podium) Badminton appears on the official Khelo India Games discipline list as "Badminton", so athletes identified by the discipline's selectors can be considered under Khelo India Talent Identification & Development (KITID). Appearing on the list is not itself a grant of funding.

Who was the first Indian world champion in badminton?▾

P. V. Sindhu — BWF World Championship gold in 2019 (Basel).

Has India won the Thomas Cup?▾

Yes — India won its first men's team world title at the 2022 Thomas Cup in Bangkok.

What is the Super 750 event in India?▾

The Yonex-Sunrise India Open, held annually in New Delhi.

Badminton in every state & UT

Dedicated pages for Badminton in each Indian state and Union Territory — academies, schemes, athletes and how to start.