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 | .svg.png){kind=small} 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 |
 South Korea |
5–0 | Denmark | ||
| 1986 Details |
Jakarta, Indonesia | China |
3–2 | Indonesia |
South Korea |
3–2 | Japan | ||
| 1988 Details |
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | China |
5–0 | South Korea |
Indonesia |
5–0 | Japan | ||
1990 onwards
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) |
| South 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
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
- 19 times
- 17 times
- 14 times
- 11 times
- 10 times
- 8 times
- 7 times
- 6 times
- 5 times
- 4 times
- 2 times
- 1 times
Spain
Bulgaria
Mauritius
References
- 1 2 "Thomas -/Uber Cup history". Archived from the original on 2007-10-21. Retrieved 2007-07-19.
- 1 2 "THE LADIES' WORLD TEAM BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE UBER CUP". Retrieved 2007-06-19.
- ↑ Alleyne, Gayle (28 May 2014). "Next Thomas-Uber Stop – Kunshan, China!". Badminton World Federation. Bwfbadminton.org. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
- ↑ From 1957 to 1981, Uber Cup actually play each edition for two years, the years shown here is only for final tournament.
