Abstract
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players (singles) or two opposing pairs (doubles), who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their opponents' half of the court. A rally ends once the shuttlecock has struck the ground, and each side may only strike the shuttlecock once before it passes over the net.
Court
The court is a rectangle and can be used for both singles and doubles. The court size for singles is 13.4m x 5.18m (playing area = 69.41m2 including boundary lines) and 13.4m x 6.1m (playing area = 81.74m2 including boundary lines). The lines are 40mm wide and coloured white or yellow. It is desirable to have a wooden sprung floor together with approved non-slip court mats.There is at least 2m clear space surrounding all the outer lines of the courts. There is also a minimum requirement of 2m between any two courts marked out side by side.
Posts and nets
Posts are 1.55m in height from the surface of the court. The net is 760mm in depth and a minimum of 6.1m wide. The top of the net from the surface of the court is 1.524m at the centre of the court and 1.55m over the sidelines for doubles. There is no gap between the end of the net and the post. If necessary, the full depth of the net at the ends is tied to the post.Space over court
The minimum height from the floor over the full court for international competition is 12m. Club standard play is 9.14m. The required height is entirely free of all obstructions and light fittings over the area of the court.Background and lighting
To avoid difficulty in sighting the shuttle, the background behind the ends of the court is not to be coloured white.The minimum recommended lighting level is 1000 lux to provide even light over the court area. Lighting is not positioned directly over or behind the playing area but positioned along the sides of the court. All sources of daylight or sunlight behind or along the sides of the courts are to be eliminated.