THOMAS CUP

The Thomas Cup

The Thomas Cup story began in England nearly 70 years ago when an English nobleman, having himself derived much pleasure from Badminton, decided to leave something for posterity.

That man was the wealthy baronet of Yapton,Sir George Alan Thomas, after whom the cup is named. A leading player of the English Badminton scene for more than two decades, Sir George had between 1903 and 1927 won an impressive record number of All-England championships, including the singles titles for four successive years.

Sir George has envisaged a world cup championship for Badminton similar to that for football, instituted in 1930. His idea was well received by the International Badminton Federation, IBF.

In 1939, Sir George presented to the IBF the handsome Cup, a shinning 28 inch gold-plated trophy hammered in silver. Engraved on the front of the Cup are the words, 'The International Badminton Championship Cup presented to the International Badminton Federation by Sir George Thomas, Bart., 1939'.

Due to world war two, it was not until 1948 that the first contest for the Thomas Cup could be launched. Initially, The Thomas Cup was played every three years. Since 1982, the Tournament has been every two years with a format of 3 singles and 2 doubles. Here is a list of past Thomas Cup winners:



Year Champion

1949 Malaya

1952 Malaya

1955 Malaya

1958 Indonesia

1961 Indonesia

1964 Indonesia

1967 Malaysia

1970 Indonesia

1973 Indonesia

1976 Indonesia

1979 Indonesia

1982 China

1984 Indonesia

1986 China

1988 China

1990 China

1992 Malaysia

1994 Indonesia

1996 Indonesia

1998 Indonesia

2000 Indonesia

2002 Indonesia

2004 China