Badminton made its official Olympic debut at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
The Barcelona Games were the first Olympics to award badminton medals. The program included men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles. Badminton had appeared as a demonstration sport at the 1972 Munich Olympics and again at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, but those appearances did not count as official medal events.
The 1992 tournament helped establish badminton as a truly global Olympic sport. Indonesia and South Korea were especially successful in Barcelona, reflecting the strength of Asian badminton at the time. The sport has remained on the Summer Olympic program ever since.
A common mix-up is to cite 1988 because badminton was showcased at Seoul. The distinction is important: demonstration status came before the official debut in 1992. Badminton's Olympic inclusion also helped increase international attention, television coverage, and investment in elite training.