Crossminton

Crossminton (previously known as Speed Badminton) is a racket game that combines elements from different sports like badminton, squash and tennis. It is played without any net and has no prescribed playground, so it can be executed on tennis courts, streets, beaches, fields or gyms.

International Crossminton Organisation
Logo of ICO
AbbreviationICO
Founded25 August 2011 (2011-08-25)
TypeFederation of national associations
Legal statusGoverning body of crossminton
PurposeSport governance
HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
Region served
Worldwide
Membership
31 national associations[1]
Official languages
English
President
Matjaž Šušteršič
Financial officer
Yoko Koizumi
Board of Executives
Maximilian Franke
Petr Marklik
Daniel Robles Rodríguez
Charly Knobling[2]
Secretary General
René Lewicki
Main organ
General Assembly
Websitewww.crossminton.org
Crossminton players on a rooftop in Berlin

The sport is often associated with the brand Speedminton because of their historical relation. From 1 January 2016 the name of the racket sport has been changed from Speed Badminton to Crossminton. Today, Crossminton is played all around the world. Currently, there are tournaments all over the world which are organized in a growing number of clubs. On August 25, 2011 the International Crossminton Organization (ICO) was founded under the name International Speed Badminton Organisation (ISBO) in Berlin. By 2018 the ICO already had 26 members - national federations from Europe, America, Asia and Africa.

History

The special shuttlecock and the idea of the game were invented in 2001 in Berlin by Bill Brandes.[3] The game was refined to the final game of crossminton by the Speedminton company. The inventor first named his new sport "shuttleball", but soon the game was renamed "speed badminton". Starting from January 2016 the name was changed again, to crossminton. Originally, the idea of the inventor was to create an outdoor variant of badminton, so he changed the ball to be smaller and heavier (today called speeder). The analogy of badminton now exists only in a technical way: there is no net and the game tempo is faster. In 2003, there were already 6,000 active players in Germany. The sport is growing steadily and there are numerous international tournaments across Europe.

Game

Court

The court consists of two squares of 5.50 m (18 ft) length. They are fixed opposite to each other at a distance of 12.8 m (42 ft).

Equipment
Match Speeder

Both of the players need a racket.[4] The rackets are similar to the ones used in squash but are specially produced for Crossminton. They are 58–60 cm long, and the material and the strings are different. The ball is called a speeder and is heavier than a conventional badminton shuttlecock, meaning it can be used up to wind force 4.

Speeder-Type Flight distance Speed
Fun Speeder 13–18 m 260 km/h
Match Speeder 17–25 m 290 km/h

Rules
Equipment

The field consists of two squares measuring 5.5 meters (18 ft) on each side. The distance between the squares is 12.8 meters (42 ft). Crossminton can be played on half of a tennis court which can easily be modified with elastic lines. Match Speeders are used for normal games. Children and adolescents (U12) play with fun speeders on a smaller court (4x4 m) over a smaller distance (9 meters).[5]

The aim of the game is to reach the square of the opposite player with the speeder. If the speeder falls outside the opposite square, the other side gains a point. Both players are allowed to step out of, or anywhere inside their square during play.

The game ends when one player has at least 16 points and has at least 2 points advantage over their opponent. Every time a set/round finishes, the players switch sides.

Match

A game ends when one player reaches 16 points. If the score is tied at 15 or greater, play continues until one player has a two-point advantage. A match usually consists of two winning sets (best of three).

Service

The right to serve first is drawn by throwing a coin or a speeder. Every player has three serves. Every rally scores. At a score of 15:15 the serve switches after every point. The serve must be done out of the designated zone which is 3 m behind the front offensive line. This line must not be crossed and the serve is played bottom-up. The first serve of the next set is done by the loser of the previous set.

Points

Every rally scores if there is no necessity to repeat it. Points can be gained if:

  • the serve is not correct
  • the speeder touches the floor or the roof
  • the speeder lands in the opposite court and cannot be returned
  • the speeder lands outside the court (the lines count as being within the court)
  • the speeder is touched two times immediately after each other
  • the speeder touches the body

If a player returns a speeder from outside the court, it is considered to still be in play.

Change of ends

After every set, there is a change of ends to guarantee equal opportunities concerning wind and lighting conditions. If a fifth game (tiebreak) becomes necessary, players change sides after every 6 points.

Variants
  • Doubles : The doubles match is played on a single court.

At the double division, both players are standing in the same court. The coin or speeder decides the side who serves first. The serving player stands at the backline, and his partner stands in front. The serves rotate between the four players. The first serve in the following set goes to the loser of the previous one.

Crossminton can be played outside and inside, the court can be painted or pegged off. There is even the possibility to use a portable court. Crossminton played in the dark is called Blackminton. With black lights, fluorescent paints, rackets and special speeders (night speeders) with glow sticks (speedlights) it is possible to play even at night.

World & European Championships

The first Crossminton (former Speed Badminton) World Championships took place on 26 and 27 August 2011. It was officially named ‘ISBO Azimut Hotels Speedminton® World Championships’. Over 380 participants from 29 countries played in Berlin, in 10 categories. Players from Canada, the US and Australia also attended. Per Hjalmarson from Sweden won the men’s title, Janet Köhler from Germany won the women’s title and Rene Lewicki & Daniel Gossen from Germany won the doubles title in the final games. Since then the World and European Championships alternate every year.

Overview of World & European Crossminton Championships - adults & U18
Year Tournament City Open Division Female Open Open Doubles Female Doubles Mixed Doubles U18 Male U18 Female
Champion Runner-up Champion Runner-up Champion Runner-up Champion Runner-up Champion Runner-up Champion Runner-up Champion Runner-up
2011 1. ISBO Azimut Hotels Speedminton® World Championships Berlin Per Hjalmarson Daniel Gossen Janet Köhler Jasmina Keber Daniel Gossen

René Lewicki

 Per Hjalmarson

Björn Karlsson

 not played not played Tomáš Pavlovský Dasen Jardas Alexandra Kacviňská Lenka Levková
2012 3. ISBO European Championships Poreč Per Hjalmarson Mattias Aronsson Jasmina Keber Ágnes Darnyik Mattias Aronsson

Per Hjalmarson

 Samo Lipušček

Robi Titovšek

 Krisztina Bognar

Ágnes Darnyik

 Helena Halas

Jasmina Keber

 Daniel Gossen

Jennifer Greune

 Tomáš Pavlovský

Alexandra Kacviňská

 Tomáš Pavlovský Jakub Kosicki Zita Ruby Alexandra Kacviňská
2013 2. ISBO Speedminton® World Championships Berlin Patrick Schüsseler Melker Ekberg Jasmina Keber Marta Soltys Mattias Aronsson

Per Hjalmarson

 Ivo Junker

Severin Wirth

 Krisztina Bognar

Ágnes Darnyik

 Barbora Syč-Kriváňová

Lucia Syč-Kriváňová

 Daniel Gossen

Jennifer Greune

 Tomáš Pavlovský

Alexandra Kacviňská

 Bence Pálinkás Tomáš Pavlovský Alexandra Kacviňská Tea Grofelnik
2014 4. ISBO European Championships Warsaw Per Hjalmarson Mladen Stankovic Jasmina Keber Jennifer Greune Tomasz Kaczmarek

Marcin Ociepa

 Mattias Aronsson

Per Hjalmarson

 Krisztina Bognar

Ágnes Darnyik

 Janina Karasek

Marta Soltys

 Daniel Gossen

Jennifer Greune

 Matjaž Šusteršič

Jasmina Keber

 Bence Pálinkás Jaša Jovan Nikola Bariaková Terezia Gibalová
2015 3. ISBO Speedminton® World Championships Berlin Per Hjalmarson Myhailo Mandryk Jasmina Keber Janet Köhler Mattias Aronsson

Per Hjalmarson

 Patrick Schüsseler

David Zimmermanns

 Janina Karasek

Marta Soltys

 Andrea Horn

Verena Horn

 Melker Ekberg

Rebecca Nielsen

 Matjaž Šusteršič

Jasmina Keber

 Nico Franke Saudo Tejada Dámaso Eliška Andrlová Danaja Knez
2016 5. ICO European Championships Gouesnou David Zimmermanns Sönke Kaatz Danaja Knez Rebecca Nielsen Patrick Schüsseler

David Zimmermanns

 Mattias Aronsson

Per Hjalmarson

 Andrea Horn

Franziska Ottrembka

 Alexandra Desfarges

Julie Guyot

 Melker Ekberg

Rebecca Nielsen

 Tamás Dósza

Ágnes Darnyik

 Nico Franke Szymon Andrzejewski Lori Škerl Rebeka Škerl
2017 4. ICO Speedminton® World Championships Warsaw Per Hjalmarson Marcin Ociepa Ágnes Darnyik Janet Köhler Robin Joop

Sönke Kaatz

 Patrick Schüsseler

David Zimmermanns

 Krisztina Bognar

Ágnes Darnyik

 Anna Hubert

Franziska Ottrembka

 Melker Ekberg

Rebecca Nielsen

 Ján Ščavnický

Tamara Lukáčová

 Jaša Jovan Nico Franke Eliška Andrlová Lori Škerl
2018 6. ICO Speedminton European Championships 2018 Skien Petr Makrlík Per Hjalmarson Eliška Andrlová Marta Urbanik Petr Makrlík

Daniel Knoflíček

 Patrick Schüsseler

David Zimmermanns

 Andrea Horn

Anja Rolfes

 Sabina Schabek

Marta Urbanik

 Melker Ekberg

Rebecca Nielsen

 Nikola Kucina

Paula Barković

 Dávid Takács Maciej Filipowicz Anna Andrlová Nika Miškulin
2019 5. ICO Crossminton World Championships 2019 Budapest Per Hjalmarson Myhailo Mandryk Jasmina Keber Lori Škerl Patrick Schüsseler

David Zimmermanns

 Petr Makrlík

Daniel Knoflíček

 Lori Škerl

Danaja Knez

 Andrea Horn

Anja Rolfes

 Yurina Abe

Akihiko Nishimura

Sebastian Christoph Anna Hubert Shameem Elaheebocus Maciej Filipowicz Sendilla Mourat Georgina Veres

International tournaments

There are many international crossminton tournaments taking place all around the world under the supervision of the International Crossminton Organization.[6] Every member country can host up to one 1000/500 points tournament and four 250 points tournaments every year. There are only five 1000 points tournaments every year, chosen by the ICO based on the applications sent by member federations. The series of 1000 and 500 points tournaments is called World Series.

By participating in international ICO tournaments the players receive ranking points based on their results.[7] Ranking points are used to determine seeding for upcoming tournaments.

World Series Tournaments in 2018
Date Tournament City Open Division Female Open Open Doubles
Champion Runner-up Champion Runner-up Champion Runner-up
17.-18.3.2018 10. ICO Speedminton® Slovenian Open Laško Myhailo Mandryk Melker Ekberg Jasmina Keber Lori Škerl Melker Ekberg

Petr Makrlík

 Jaša Jovan

David Zimmermanns

28.-29.4.2018 10. ICO Speedminton® Hungarian Open Kiskunfélegyháza Petr Makrlík Per Hjalmarson Jasmina Keber Ágnes Darnyik Per Hjalmarson

Petr Makrlík

 Grzegorz Chmielewski

Tomasz Moskal

5.-6.5.2018 11. ICO Speedminton® Croatian Open Zagreb Petr Makrlík Jaša Jovan Lori Škerl Eliška Andrlová Adam Kakula

Petr Makrlík

 Marcel Herrmann

David Zimmermanns

19.-20.5.2018 9. ICO Speedminton® SLOVAK Open Banská Bystrica Petr Makrlík Myhailo Mandryk Lori Škerl Barbora Syč-Kriváňová Melker Ekberg

Petr Makrlík

 Adam Kakula

Andrej Ostrihoň

1.-2.6.2018 ICO Speedminton® Japan Open Tokyo David Zimmermanns Olivér Vincze Yuka Nishimura Andrea Horn Shinichi Nagata

Patrick Schüsseler

 Akihiko Nishimura

David Zimmermanns

22.-23.6.2018 ICO Speedminton® Polish Open Warsaw Nico Franke Petr Makrlík Danaja Knez Marta Urbanik Melker Ekberg

Petr Makrlík

 Robin Joop

Adrian Lutz

21.7.2018 2018 ICO Speedminton® Swedish Open Gothenburg Per Hjalmarson Melker Ekberg Rebecca Nielsen Eliška Andrlová Mattias Aronsson

Per Hjalmarson

 Robin Joop

Sönke Kaatz

8.-9.9.2018 2018 ICO Speedminton® Serbian Open Sombor (future event)
29.-30.9.2018 8. ICO Speedminton® Czech Open 2018 Brno (future event)
19.-21.10.2018 2018 ICO Speedminton® German Open Fürstenfeldbruck (future event)
9.-10.11.2018 2018 ICO Speedminton® Latvian Open Riga (future event)
17.-18.11.2018 2018 ICO Speedminton® Spanish Open Las Palmas (future event)

* 1000 points tournaments are denoted in bold characters

Nations Cup

Since 2013 the ICO has organized a national team competition called ICO Nations Cup.[8] The concept is derived from tennis competitions like David Cup or Fed Cup, but in crossminton mixed teams consisting of both male and female players are competing. First, Regional tournaments are played in group- or elimination system and then the winners of Regional tournaments – Regional Champions – battle it out for the title of ICO Nations Cup Champion at the Final tournament.[9]

A national team consists of at least three players – 2 male players (open category, but not as a rule) and 1 female player (women’s category, but not as a rule) – and not more than five players (3 players + 2 reserves that can step in for either singles or doubles matches). A clash between two national teams consists of 6 matches – 4 singles and 2 doubles matches.

ICO Nations Cup Results[10]
Year Final Tournament Venue Champion Runner-up
2013 Guimaraes Slovenia Germany
2014 Budapest Sweden Germany
2015 Eragny sur Oise Slovenia Germany
2016 Brno Germany Poland
2017 Zabok Slovenia Czech Republic
2018 Laško Czech Republic Slovenia
2019 Prague Germany Czech Republic
2020 (future event) (future event)

References
  1. crossminton.org. "Members - International Crossminton Organisation". Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  2. crossminton.org. "Executives - International Crossminton Organisation". Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  3. "Speed Badminton - ein Sport, den es ohne Berliner nicht gäbe - Berlin-Sport - Berliner Morgenpost"
  4. "Equipment". International Crossminton Organisation. Retrieved 2018-08-08.
  5. "The Rules". International Crossminton Organisation. Retrieved 2018-08-08.
  6. "Tournament calendar". International Crossminton Organisation. Retrieved 2018-08-08.
  7. "World Rankings". International Crossminton Organisation. Retrieved 2018-08-08.
  8. "Past results". International Crossminton Organisation. Retrieved 2018-08-08.
  9. "Tournament mode". International Crossminton Organisation. Retrieved 2018-08-08.
  10. "Past results". International Crossminton Organisation. Archived from the original on 2020-06-18. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
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