By: Sammy Wang

It’s badminton. Out of the 45 sports being showcased in the 2024 Olympics, it has to be badminton. Listen, there may be other interesting sport competitions that may catch your eye like artistic swimming or the trampoline, but it’s so easy to get invested into badminton.

Badminton is a sport that involves a birdie, formerly known as a shuttlecock. It can be played between two players, known as “singles”. It can also be played in teams consisting of two players in teams, which consist of two players on each side, known as “doubles”.

Players have a badminton racket, which they use to hit the birdie to the other side of the net. The goal of the sport is to hit the birdie onto the opponent’s side without them being able to hit it back over the net.

And even without an explanation, seeing a game with your own eyes is an explanation enough.

Around 339 million people play badminton worldwide; some play it competitively, while others, like me, play it casually.

When witnessing a competitive game of badminton, it is very engaging. Seeing people do crazy moves to get to the birdie to avoid it falling onto their territory is so entertaining.

Spectators have no idea who’s going to win the game because of those actions. This is proven in many badminton competition videos. You can hear many people “oohing” and “aahing” while watching the birdie get tossed around in the court.

So, if you’re planning to watch the 2024 Olympics and don’t know which sport to start with, I highly suggest badminton as your first choice. Not saying that you have to like it, but it’s worth giving it a watch!

Sources:
https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/sports
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badminton
https://bwfbadminton.com/news-single/2022/04/07/world-health-day-pick-up-a-racket-and-get-active#:~:text=Badminton%20continues%20to%20be%20one,and%20abilities%20can%20compete%20equally.