Badminton - factfile Badminton players and playing area

Playing area

• A competitive badminton court is a large rectangle marked out with 40 mm wide lines. The dimensions of the court are of 13.4 m (44 ft) long and 6.1m (20 ft) wide.
• The badminton posts are 1.55 m (5ft 1 in) in height and must remain perfectly vertical when attached to the strained net. To ensure visibility and safety, the 6.1 m wide net is made from fine dark cord with a mesh of between 15-20 mm.

Players

A badminton match can have either two or four players on the court at a given time.

In a game of doubles, after a service is returned, both players are then able to hit the shuttlecock and are not required to take it in turns.

Competitive badminton games have five different types of matches/events. They are:

1. men's singles
2. women's singles
3. men's doubles
4. women's doubles
5. mixed doubles (each team is made up of a man and a woman)

However, recreational games see women playing against men in singles matches. Wheelchair formats are also offered in all types of competitive badminton matches.