Knowledge

Winners of Past Thomas and Uber Cups

Text / VICTOR BADMINTON A-Z Editorial Room

Amongst the highest honors to be won by a badminton player, the Thomas and Uber Cups are internationally renowned large scale team competitions, the Thomas Cup the men’s event and the Uber Cup the women’s. Originally held every three years, in 1981 the newly-formed Badminton World Federation (BWF) decided that, from 1984, the Thomas and Uber Cups would be held in the same place at the same time and would be held every two years from 1986. The joint holding of the two events gives fans a chance to see the best players from around the world at the same time and the Thomas and Uber Cups are always eagerly awaited by badminton fans everywhere.


The Korea’s Lee Yong Dae and Yoo Yeon Seong playing at the 2014 Thomas Cup


Indonesia has won the Thomas Cup 13 times

The Thomas Cup is also called the World Men's Team Badminton Championships. English player George Thomas was the first chairman of the International Badminton Federation when it was established in 1934 and actively promoted the development of an international men’s team competition. Thomas presented a cup for the competition and it was thus later named after him. Malaysia was the first winner and the first country to have its name engraved on the cup.

In the early days the Thomas Cup was held every three years. Nine matches (five singles and four doubles)were held over two days, the first team to gain five wins was the winner. From 1986 it has been held every two years and is now a one-day event, with five matches now played (three singles, two doubles,) the first team to win three matches the winner.

Up to 2014 the Thomas Cup has been held 27 times but only four countries have won the title, with Indonesia having won more than any other country, amassing 13 wins; China follows in second with nine wins, followed by Malaysia with five wins; Japan won for the first time in 2014. Denmark has recorded the best results of a European nation, with eight final appearances, but in each they have lost to an Asian team, taking eight second places. So far the Thomas Cup has been monopolized by Asian countries.
 

List of past Thomas Cup winners

No.

Year

Host city

Finalists

Semi-finalists

Champions

score

runner-up

1

1949

Preston

Malaya

8-1

Denmark

 

 

2

1952

Singapore

Malaya

7-2

USA

 

 

3

1955

Singapore

Malaya

8-1

Denmark

 

 

4

1958

Singapore

Indonesia

6-3

Malaya

 

 

5

1961

Jakarta

Indonesia

6-3

Thailand

 

 

6

1964

Tokyo

Indonesia

5-4

Denmark

 

 

7

1967

Jakarta

Malaysia

6-3

Indonesia

 

 

8

1970

Kuala Lumpur

Indonesia

7-2

Malaysia

 

 

9

1973

Jakarta

Indonesia

8-1

Denmark

 

 

10

1976

Bangkok

Indonesia

9-0

Malaysia

 

 

11

1979

Jakarta

Indonesia

9-0

Denmark

 

 

12

1982

London

China

5-4

Indonesia

 

 

13

1984

Kuala Lumpur

Indonesia

3-2

China

England

Korea

14

1986

Jakarta

China

3-2

Indonesia

Malaysia

Denmark

15

1988

Kuala Lumpur

China

4-1

Malaysia

Indonesia

Denmark

16

1990

Nagoya Tokyo

China

4-1

Malaysia

Denmark

Indonesia

17

1992

Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

3-2

Indonesia

China

Korea

18

1994

Jakarta

Indonesia

3-0

Malaysia

Korea

China

19

1996

Hong Kong

Indonesia

5-0

Denmark

China

Korea

20

1998

Hong Kong

Indonesia

3-2

Malaysia

Denmark

China

21

2000

Kuala Lumpur

Indonesia

3-0

China

Korea

Denmark

22

2002

Guangzhou

Indonesia

3-2

Malaysia

Denmark

China

23

2004

Jakarta

China

3-1

Denmark

Korea

Indonesia

24

2006

Sendai , Tokyo

China

3-0

Denmark

Indonesia

Malaysia

25

2008

Jakarta

China

3-1

Korea

Malaysia

Indonesia

26

2010

Kuala Lumpu

China

3-0

Indonesia

Malaysia

Japan

27

2012

Wuhan

China

3-0

Korea

Japan

Denmark

28

2014

New Delhi

Japan

3-2

Malaysia

China

Indonesia


 

China has won the Uber Cup 13 times

The Uber Cup is also called the World Women's Team Badminton Championships. The cup was presented to the International Badminton Federation in 1956 by English player Betty Uber which is why the competition is so named. The first Uber Cup was held in 1957 in Lancashire in the UK and was won by the USA team.

The Korea’s Kim So Young/Jang Ye Na at the 2014 Uber Cup
 

First held in 1957, to begin with the Uber Cup was held every three years. In 1981 when the BWF was created by merging the two existing international badminton organizations, it was decided that, from 1986, it would be held every two years and held together with the men’s Thomas Cup.

Held 25 times to date, only five teams have ever won the Uber Cup, with China’s 13 wins leading the field, followed by Japan with five wins, Indonesia with three, the USA with three and Korea first-time winners in 2010. To date, the cup has only been –have reached the finals but have never won the title.

 

List of past Uber Cup winners

No.

Year

Host city

Finalists

Semi-finalists

Champions

score

runner-up

1

1957

Lancashire

USA

6-1

Demark

 

 

2

1960

Philadelphia

USA

5-2

Demark

 

 

3

1963

Wilmington

USA

4-3

England

 

 

4

1966

Wellington

Japan

5-2

USA

 

 

5

1969

Tokyo

Japan

6-1

Indonesia

 

 

6

1972

Tokyo

Japan

6-1

Indonesia

 

 

7

1975

Jakarta

Indonesia

5-2

Japan

 

 

8

1978

Auckland

Japan

5-2

Indonesia

 

 

9

1981

Tokyo

Japan

6-3

Indonesia

 

 

10

1984

Kuala Lumpur

China

5-0

England

Korea

Denmark

11

1986

Jakarta

China

3-2

Indonesia

Korea

Japan

12

1988

Kuala Lumpur

China

5-0

Korea

Indonesia

Japan

13

1990

Nagoya , Tokyo

China

3-2

Korea

Indonesia

Japan

14

1992

Kuala Lumpur

China

3-2

Korea

Sweden

Indonesia

15

1994

Jakarta

Indonesia

3-2

China

Sweden

Korea

16

1996

Hong Kong

Indonesia

4-1

China

Korea

Denmark

17

1998

Hong Kong

China

4-1

Indonesia

Denmark

Korea

18

2000

Kuala Lumpur

China

3-0

Denmark

Korea

Indonesia

19

2002

Guangzhou

China

3-1

Korea

Netherlands

Hong Kong

20

2004

Jakarta

China

3-1

Korea

Demark

Japan

21

2006

Sendai , Tokyo

China

3-0

Netherlands

Germany

Chinese Taipei

22

2008

Jakarta

China

3-0

Indonesia

Korea

Germany

23

2010

Kuala Lumpur

ROK

3-1

China

Japan

Indonesia

24

2012

Wuhan

China

3-0

Korea

Japan

Thailand

25

2014

New Delhi

China

3-1

Japan

Korea

India

 

(Edit by VICTOR Badminton )