Who needs travel insurance for badminton, the safest backyard sport there is, the one you’ve been playing since childhood…right? Wrong, actually. Badminton is among the Olympic sports with the highest risk of injury. So, there you are!

If you’re planning to play some badminton during your vacation, it would make immense sense to purchase badminton travel insurance. And if you’re planning a vacation specifically for some amateur badminton activity, you’ll definitely need it. Remember to buy that insurance coverage.

Travel Insurance for Badminton

You’d surely not want to incur out-of-pocket medical expenses when traveling. If you have plans to play badminton when traveling, get travel insurance for badminton. Your medical insurance may not work in the country you will be visiting.

If you purchase a hazardous sports travel insurance policy in order to play badminton, the plan will likely cover other adventurous sports, as well—just in case you plan to indulge in other potentially hazardous activities during your vacation.

The bottom line, however, is that badminton is far riskier than popular perception accounts for. Purchase badminton travel insurance to play freely while away from home. The sports insurance will not reduce the risks, but it will help with access to quality medical care wherever you are.

Basics of Badminton

Badminton players use lightweight racquets to hit a shuttlecock back and forth across a net. Traditionally, a shuttlecock is a small cork hemisphere with 16 goose feathers attached to it. Today, the Badminton World Federation allows shuttlecocks to be made with synthetic feathers, also.

The badminton racquet strings were originally made of nylon. But now polyester, polyether, or a mix of different materials are also used. Nylon, polyethylene, and vinyl are the most common materials used for a badminton net.

The game derives its name from the Badminton estate in Gloucestershire, England. The Duke of Beaufort first played the sport there in 1873. Its roots probably lie in a game called battledore and shuttlecock. Upper-class Europeans, including the British, played it as a pastime in the 1600s.

The oldest version of badminton originated about 2,000 years ago in Asia and Europe. Today, children and adults around the world play badminton as a popular backyard sport. It is also a professional sport with national and international tournaments, played indoors on a regulation badminton court.

Risks of Playing Badminton

It may surprise you to know that badminton qualifies under hazardous sports travel insurance or adventure sports travel insurance. Some insurance companies even include it under extreme sports travel insurance. Be aware that a standard travel insurance policy will not cover injuries sustained from playing badminton.

That’s because of the high risks involved in this so-called “safe” sport. Badminton requires sprinting, diving, twisting, and other common ways to sustain injuries. Tennis elbow and surging back pain are the most common hazards resulting from regularly playing badminton.

If you start playing without a proper warm-up, the chances of twisting your ankle or tearing a ligament rise considerably. Badminton is also a sport with high ocular risks. A hard-hit shuttlecock hitting you in the eye can be dangerous, indeed.

As with any sport, some injuries may be of the type that you can recover from easily. But some may well be serious enough to cause giving up the sport forever.

DISCLAIMER: The information within this article is intended as a broad summary of benefits and services and is meant for informational purposes only. The information does not describe all scenarios, coverages or exclusions of any insurance plan. The benefits and services of an insurance plan are subject to change. This is not your policy/certificate of insurance. If there is any discrepancy between the information in this article and the language of your policy/certificate wording, the language of the policy/certificate wording will prevail.