Thomas and Uber Cup 101
The Thomas and Uber Cups are badminton’s premier team competitions for men and women.
Named after the respective English legends, they are considered the sport’s counterpart to the tennis’ Davis and Billie Jean King Cups.
In terms of the trophies themselves, it was the Thomas who is the taller by eight inches.
Also, Thomas is the older of the two, with the first edition being played in 1949 in Preston, with the Uber first played eight years later in Lytham St Annes.
Improvements of the Thomas & Uber Cup
The tournaments have gone through several formats and played every three years since their inceptions, until it was merged in 1984 where they have been held in a single country and were now held every two years.
Since its inception, the Asian teams dominated both competitions, with all but four editions have won by the teams from the world’s biggest continent as Indonesia (14 Thomas Cups) and China (15 Uber Cups) led the way.
It was only in 2016 that Europe finally had a Thomas Cup, with Viktor Axelsen and Denmark made history, while the wait is still on for non-Asian side since the United States won the first three Uber Cups in 1957-63.
Keyword: thomas and uber cup
Slug: /thomas-and-uber-cup-101/
Meta Title: Thomas & Uber Cup Tournament Overview
Meta Description: An overview of badminton’s premier tournament: Thomas & Uber Cup. Read its history and how it became one of the most active court games in history.