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. Each side may only strike the shuttlecock once before it passes over the net. A rally ends once the shuttlecock has struck the floor.

The shuttlecock (or shuttle) is a feathered projectile whose unique aerodynamic properties cause it to fly differently than the balls used in most racquet sports; in particular, the feathers create much higher drag, causing the shuttlecock to decelerate more rapidly than a ball. Shuttlecocks have a much higher top speed, when compared to other racquet sports. Because shuttlecock flight is affected by wind, competitive badminton is played indoors. Badminton is also played outdoors as a casual recreational activity, often as a garden or beach game.

Lin Dan (Chinese: 林丹; pinyin: Lín Dān; born October 14, 1983 in Longyan, Fujian) is a professional badminton player from China. He is a four-time world champion, five time All England champion and the reigning Olympic champion. Widely considered to be the greatest badminton player of all time, by the age of 28 Lin had completed the "Super Grand Slam", having won all nine major titles in world badminton: Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cup, Thomas Cup, Sudirman Cup, Super Series Masters Finals, All England Open, Asian Games, and Asia Championships, becoming the first and only player to achieve this feat.

He has been nicknamed "Super Dan" by his fans.

In his early years, Lin was encouraged to learn to play piano by his parents, but chose to play badminton at the age of five. He joined the sports troop of the People's Liberation Army at the age of 13 and has been part of China's national badminton team since 2001 when he was 18.

On April 10, 2008, he created controversy when he struck coach Ji Xinpeng in front of his teammates and reporters during the warm-up tournament ahead of the Thomas Cup. The incident was reportedly triggered by Lin being unhappy with Ji's starting lineup for the tournament.

Markis Kido (born August 11, 1984 in Jakarta, DKI Jakarta) is a male badminton player from Indonesia, one of the world's leading men's doubles specialists. He won the men's doubles Olympic gold medal in 2008 with Hendra Setiawan.

In 2005, with Hendra Setiawan, he won the Asian Badminton Championships and the Indonesia Open. In 2006, the pair also won the Jakarta Satellite, the Hong Kong Open and the China Open after defeating Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng 21–16, 21–16 at the finals.

In 2007 they became world champions after defeating Jung Jae-sung and Lee Yong-dae from South Korea, 21–19 and 21–19, at the World Championships finals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 2007 was a very big year for them. They also won the China Super Series after beating China's Guo Zhengdong and Xie Zhongbo 21–12, 21–19 in the finals, and the BWF World Cup Invitation after defeating Malaysia's Mohd. Fairuzizuan Mohd. Tazari and Lin Woon Fui 21–18, 21–15 in the finals at Yiyang, Hunan. They were runners-up at the China Masters Super Series, losing the final to China's Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng, 15–21, 16–21. In September they won the Chinese Taipei Grand Prix Gold event. In December 2007, they won the Hong Kong Super Series, defeating the famous veterans Candra Wijaya and Tony Gunawan 21–12, 18–21, 21–13 in the finals. At the 2007 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, they helped the Indonesian team win the gold medal in the men's team event, and won gold in men's doubles at the individual event after beating the Indonesian born pair of Hendri Kurniawan Saputra and Hendra Wijaya who represented Singapore, 21–17 and 21–12.

Hendra Setiawan (born in Pemalang, Central Java, August 24, 1984) is a male badminton player from Indonesia and one of the world's leading doubles players.

In 2005, with Markis Kido, he won men's doubles at the Asian Badminton Championships and the Indonesia Open. In 2006, they also won the Jakarta Satellite, the Hong Kong Open and the 2006 China Open (badminton)China Open after defeating China's Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng, the 2006 IBF (BWF) world champions in the finals.

2007 was a big year for Setiawan and Kido. They were crowned world champions after defeating Jung Jae-sung and Lee Yong-dae from South Korea, 21–19 and 21–19, at the World Championship finals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They also captured the China Super Series after defeating China 's Guo Zhengdong and Xie Zhongbo and the BWF World Cup Invitation after beating Malaysia's Mohd. Fairuzizuan Mohd. Tazari and Lin Woon Fui at Yiyang, Hunan. In July they were runners-up at the China Masters Super Series, this time losing to Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng, 15–21, 16–21. They won the Chinese Taipei Grand Prix Gold event in September over the Danish veterans Lars Paaske and Jonas Rasmussen. In December they won the Hong Kong Super Series after overcoming two of Indonesia's "all-time" greats Candra Wijaya and Tony Gunawan 21–12, 18–21, 21–13 in the final. At the 2007 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, they helped Indonesia win the men's team gold medal, and won men's doubles gold in the individual events after defeating Hendri Kurniawan Saputra and Hendra Wijaya, Indonesian-born players who represented Singapore.

Koo Kien Keat (simplified Chinese: 古健杰; traditional Chinese: 古健傑; pinyin: Gǔ Jiànjié; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Kóo Kiān-kia̍t; born September 18, 1985 in Ipoh, Perak) is a professional badminton player from Malaysia. Besides being a men's doubles player, he also represents Malaysia in the mixed doubles event. He started his career at seventeen years of age and has won the Asian Junior title. He played in the Thomas Cup 2004 with Chan Chong Ming. They won bronze in the World Championship 2005. His current doubles partner is Tan Boon Heong, and together, in 2010, they became the number 1 ranked men's doubles team in the world. They have since lost that ranking but remain one of the top men's doubles team in the world.

He began his studies at St. Michael's Institution in Ipoh, Perak. Later, he received an offer to go to Bukit Jalil Sports School, where he completed his secondary school studies and sat for the SPM (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia) examination.

Koo Kien Keat moves very fast around the net areas and is adventurous with deceptive shots. He also reacts very well on fast flat exchanges. A favourite formation is when he is on the front court and his partner, the main smasher, thunders the shuttlecock down the rear court.