The game of Badminton can be traced back about 200 years to ancient China and Egypt. The modern version is a descendent of the ancient game of Battledore and Shuttlecock which was a leisurely pastime in which players counted the number of hits and tried to keep the shuttlecock in the air as much as possible.In the 19th century, a similar game was played in India by British Military officers called "Poona" as the first rules were framed there. Some of these officers, while on leave in England, introduced this game to the Duke of Beaufort in 1873, at his country house, 'Badminton' in Gloucestershire. The Duke popularised the game all over England and the game became known as 'Badminton' all over the world. Formal rules were drawn up when the Badminton Association of England was formed in 1893 and an international body named International Badminton Federation was formed in 1934. The IBF has 131 member countries as on date..