Uber Cup

Uber Cup

Current season, competition or edition: 2016 Thomas & Uber Cup
Sport	Badminton
Founded	1957
No. of teams	16
Countries	BWF member nations
Most recent champion(s)	China (14th title)
Most titles	China (14 titles)

The Uber Cup, sometimes called the World Team Championships for Women, is a major international badminton competition contested by women's national badminton teams. First held in 1956–1957 and contested at three year intervals, it has been contested every two years since 1984 when its scheduled times and venues were merged with those of Thomas Cup, the world men's team championship. The Uber Cup is named after a former British women's badminton player, Betty Uber, who in 1950 had the idea of hosting a women's event similar to that of the men .^[1] She also made the draw for the 1956–1957 inaugural tournament, which took place at Lytham St. Annes in Lancashire, England.^[2]

The cup follows a similar format to that of the men's competition of the Thomas Cup. As of the 2016 tournament, China is the most successful team, having won fourteen times. Japan is second, having won it five times, followed by Indonesia and United States, each with three cups.

The 2016 tournament was held in Kunshan, China.^[3]

Trophy

The Uber Cup trophy was officially presented at the annual general meeting in 1956, the year the first Uber Cup tournament was first held.^[2] It was made by Mappin & Webb, prominent silversmiths on Regent Street in London. The trophy is 20 inches high with a rotating globe on top of a plinth and a female player standing on top of a shuttlecock.^[1]

Results

Uber Cup summaries

1957 – 1981

Year[4]	Host		Final
			Winner	Score	Runner-up
1957 Details	Lancashire, England		United States	6–1	Denmark
1960 Details	Philadelphia, United States		United States	5–2	Denmark
1963 Details	Wilmington, United States		United States	4–3	England
1966 Details	Wellington, New Zealand		Japan	5–2	United States
1969 Details	Tokyo, Japan		Japan	6–1	Indonesia
1972 Details	Tokyo, Japan		Japan	6–1	Indonesia
1975 Details	Jakarta, Indonesia		Indonesia	5–2	Japan
1978 Details	Auckland, New Zealand		Japan	5–2	Indonesia
1981 Details	Tokyo, Japan		Japan	6–3	Indonesia

1984 – 1988

Year	Host		Final				Third Place
			Winner	Score	Runner-up		Third Place	Score	Fourth Place
1984 Details	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia		China	5–0	England		Korea	5–0	Denmark
1986 Details	Jakarta, Indonesia		China	3–2	Indonesia		Korea	3–2	Japan
1988 Details	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia		China	5–0	Korea		Indonesia	5–0	Japan

1990 onwards

Year	Host		Final				Semi-finalists
			Winner	Score	Runner-up
1990 Details	Nagoya & Tokyo, Japan		China	3–2	Korea		Indonesia	Japan
1992 Details	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia		China	3–2	Korea		Sweden	Indonesia
1994 Details	Jakarta, Indonesia		Indonesia	3–2	China		Sweden	Korea
1996 Details	Hong Kong		Indonesia	4–1	China		Korea	Denmark
1998 Details	Hong Kong, China SAR		China	4–1	Indonesia		Denmark	Korea
2000 Details	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia		China	3–0	Denmark		Indonesia	Korea
2002 Details	Guangzhou, China		China	3–1	Korea		Netherlands	Hong Kong
2004 Details	Jakarta, Indonesia		China	3–1	Korea		Denmark	Japan
2006 Details	Sendai & Tokyo, Japan		China	3–0	Netherlands		Germany	Chinese Taipei
2008 Details	Jakarta, Indonesia		China	3–0	Indonesia		Korea	Germany
2010 Details	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia		Korea	3–1	China		Japan	Indonesia
2012 Details	Wuhan, China		China	3–0	Korea		Thailand	Japan
2014 Details	New Delhi, India		China	3–1	Japan		India	Korea
2016 Details	Kunshan, China		China	3–1	Korea		India	Japan

Successful national teams

So far, only 5 countries have won the Uber Cup with China the most successful team with 14 titles, followed by Japan (5 titles), Indonesia (3 titles), United States (3 titles) and Korea (1 title). The Uber Cup has only crossed the shores of two continents so far: Asia and North America.

Eight teams have made it into the finals. The finalists other than 5 winner countries above are Denmark, England and the Netherlands. Sweden, Germany, Chinese Taipei, Thailand and India are the other five teams which have made it into the final four.

Teams	Titles	Runners-up
China	14 (1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1998, 2000, 2002*, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012*, 2014, 2016*)	3 (1994, 1996, 2010)
Japan	5 (1966, 1969*, 1972*, 1978, 1981*)	2 (1975, 2014)
Indonesia	3 (1975*, 1994*, 1996)	7 (1969, 1972, 1978, 1981, 1986*, 1998, 2008*)
United States	3 (1957, 1960*, 1963*)	1 (1966)
Korea	1 (2010)	7 (1988, 1990, 1992, 2002, 2004, 2012, 2016)
Denmark		3 (1957, 1960, 2000)
England		2 (1963, 1984)
Netherlands		1 (2006)

* = hosts

Team appearances at the final stages

The map shows countries that qualified for the final stages of the Uber Cup

As of 2016, twenty-FOUR teams were qualified in the whole history of the competition for the final stages of the Uber Cup. Asia is the continent with most teams at ten, followed by Europe with EIGHT. Americas and Oceania have each had two teams that qualified while South Africa and Mauritius are the only team that has qualified from Africa.

2016 saw Spain, Bulgaria, and Mauritius debuted in the championship.

Below is the list of teams that have appeared in the final stage of Uber Cup as of the 2016 tournament.

23 times

•  Indonesia
•  Japan

19 times

•  Denmark

17 times

•  China
•  Korea

14 times

•  England

11 times

•  Malaysia
•  United States

10 times

•  Canada
•  Netherlands

8 times

•  Germany

7 times

•  Australia
•  Hong Kong

6 times

•  New Zealand

5 times

•  South Africa
•  Sweden
•  Chinese Taipei
•  India
•  Thailand

4 times

•  Russia

2 times

•  Singapore

1 times

•  Spain
•  Bulgaria
•  Mauritius

References

1. "Thomas -/Uber Cup history". Archived from the original on 2007-10-21. Retrieved 2007-07-19.
2. "THE LADIES' WORLD TEAM BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE UBER CUP". Retrieved 2007-06-19.
3. Alleyne, Gayle (28 May 2014). "Next Thomas-Uber Stop – Kunshan, China!". Badminton World Federation. Bwfbadminton.org. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
4. From 1957 to 1981, Uber Cup actually play each edition for two years, the years shown here is only for final tournament.