Badminton at the 1996 Summer Olympics included the four events (men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles) as well as a new event: mixed doubles. An additional change to the tournament was the playoff game for the bronze medal rather than the awarding of two bronzes. The tournament was single-elimination. Matches consisted of three sets, with sets being to 15 except. The tournament was held at the Georgia State University gymnasium.
A total of 37 nations participated in this event.