Badminton at the Royal College started along with Table Tennis around 1945 as a ‘Lunch hour game’ as a part of the Indoor Games Club. In 1947, a small group of enthusiasts headed by C. P. Chanmugam, A. R. L. Wijesekera, the Schoorman brothers Sam and Dick, Bala Sivaratnam, K. Sri Skandarajah and Ivor Andriesz vouched / pressured for it to be a College sport. The first Captain of Royal College Badminton on record is C. P. Chanmugam. Badminton has emerged as one of the most popular and keenly contested sports amongst schools today.

Due to the enthusiasm and rich history behind this sport at the Royal College and S.Thomas’ College, the under 19 Badminton teams of the 2 schools annually compete for the ‘Ranil Wijesekera Challenge Trophy’ which was donated by Dr. A. R. L. Wijesekera in 2010. Badminton helps improve a student’s agility, quick sense of thinking and fast movements.