Will the Red Army change the image of badminton?
Forget nuclear missiles. Russia's military arsenal will soon be bristling with badminton rackets.
Hoping to keep soldiers and recruits in fighting form without great expense, the Defence Ministry plans to buy 10,000 badminton rackets and tens of thousands of shuttlecocks next year.
"Playing badminton uses the same muscles as throwing grenades, knives or other objects," says head of the ministry's physical preparation department, Colonel Alexander Shchepelev.
"That's why this sport is very good for all servicemen without exception."
"Watching the shuttle will be particularly good practice for snipers and riflemen."
"Following the shuttlecock trains the eye muscles, strengthens the cardiovascular system and develops reaction speed."
Sport complexes at seven facilities for Russian draftees have ten marked-out badminton courts each, and military bases will also receive rackets and shuttlecocks.
This is what badminton needs a tougher image. Where Badminton England and other governing bodies have failed for years, lets hope the Red Army can launch badminton in a new direction.
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