History of the Thomas Cup and Records of Indonesian Achievements
Indonesia is the country that has won the most Thomas Cup titles and has the opportunity to add to its title in the 2024 Thomas Cup.
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Indonesian badminton player Anthony Sinisuka Ginting (left) returns the shuttlecock towards opponent, Taiwanese badminton player Chou Tien Chen (right), in the semi-finals of the 2024 Thomas Cup held in Chengdu, China on Saturday (4/5/2024). Indonesia won and advanced to the finals.
The Indonesian men's team badminton successfully advanced to the final round of the 2024 Thomas Cup. This success repeated their previous achievement, namely qualifying for the final round Thomas Cup 2020 and 2022.
The Thomas Cup is a source of pride for Indonesia. Indonesia has three outstanding records in the men's badminton team supremacy tournament which has been contested since 1948-1949. The first record is being a debutant and immediately becoming the champion.
Indonesia first participated in the tournament in the Thomas Cup 1958. Despite being debutants, Ferry Sonneville and his colleagues immediately won the Thomas Cup from defending champion Malaysia.
The next achievement note is becoming the finalist with the most appearances. Since its participation until this year, Indonesia has successfully reached the Thomas Cup final 22 times. This success surpasses Malaysia and China, which have advanced to the final 14 times.
The third achievement is being the most successful winner of the Thomas Cup. Often advancing to the finals, Indonesia's success has made it the country with the most Thomas Cup victories, winning it a total of 14 times. Several of these victories were obtained consecutively, including three titles from 1958-1964, four titles from 1970-1979, and five titles from 1994-2002.
Recently, Indonesia won the championship title for the Thomas Cup 2020, which was held in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In the 2022 Thomas Cup, Indonesian male badminton players made it to the final round. However, Indonesia's progress stopped in second place after being defeated by India.
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Badminton player Hendra Setiawan (third from left), captain of Indonesia's Thomas Cup team, and doubles coach Herry Iman Pierngadi, lifted the Thomas Cup at Ceres Arena in Aarhus, Denmark, on Sunday (17/10/2021). Indonesia became the Thomas Cup 2020 champion after defeating China, 3-0.
2024 Indonesian Thomas Cup Team and its competitors
Indonesia's achievements are inseparable from the quality of world-class badminton players Indonesia possesses. In every participation, Indonesia is almost always reinforced by world-class players.
In the 1979 Thomas Cup, for example, Indonesia was strengthened by Rudy Hartono, Liem Swie King, Iie Sumirat, Christian Hadinata, Tjun Tjun, and Johan Wahjudi.
Next, in the 1994 Thomas Cup, Indonesia was reinforced by Hariyanto Arbi, Joko Supriyanto, Ardy B Wiranata, Hermawan Susanto, Rudy Gunawan, Eddy Hartono, Rexy Mainaky, and Ricky Subagja. Hariyanto Arbi was the champion of the 1993 All England title, while Joko Supriyanto was the world champion in 1993 after defeating his fellow countryman, Hermawan Susanto.
Similarly, in the men's doubles sector, Rudy Gunawan won a silver medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics with Eddy Hartono. In 1993, Rudy Gunawan became the world champion with Ricky Subagja.
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Indonesian badminton doubles players Ricky Subagja and Rexy Mainaky defeated the Chinese pair Jiang Xin/Huang Zhanhong in the final round of the 1996 Thomas Cup at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Hong Kong. Indonesia won 3-2.
In the 2002 Thomas Cup, Indonesia was strengthened by Marleve Mainaky, Taufik Hidayat, Rony Agustinus, and Hendrawan. Rony Agustinus was the gold medalist at the 1999 SEA Games, while Hendrawan was the silver medalist at the Sydney 2000 Olympics and the 2001 world champion. Meanwhile, Taufik Hidayat won the men's singles gold medal at the 2002 Asian Games and later also won gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
In the men's doubles number, Indonesia is strengthened by Halim Haryanto, Tony Gunawan, Candra Wijaya, Sigit Budiarto, Tri Kusharjanto, and Bambang Suprianto. The doubles pair of Tony Gunawan and Candra Wijaya are the gold medalists of the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
Tony Gunawan, who then paired with Halim Haryanto, became the champion of the All England 2001 after defeating Candra Wijaya/Sigit Budiarto. The duo of Halim Haryanto and Tony Gunawan were also the world champions of 2001. Meanwhile, Tri Kusharjanto/Bambang Suprianto became the champions at the 2001 Asian Championship.
President Abdurrahman Wahid, on Monday (May 22, 2000), received successful Indonesian badminton players who defended the Thomas Cup. From left to right, Sigit Budiarto, Marlev Mainaky, Ricky Subagja, Rexy Mainaky, Hariyanto Arbi, Hendrawan, Taufik Hidayat, Tony Gunawan, Antonius Budi Ariantho, and Candra Wijaya.
In the current 2024 Thomas Cup, the Indonesian men's team relies on Jonatan Christie (3rd place BWF), Anthony Sinisuka Ginting (ranked 7th), Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo (29th place), and Alwi Farhan (64th place) in the men's singles number.
In the men's doubles category, Indonesia is bolstered by Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto (ranked 7th by BWF), Bagas Maulana/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri (ranked 9th), and Leo Rolly Carnando/Daniel Marthin (ranked 13th).
Jonatan Christie is the holder of the 2024 All England and 2023 French Open titles. At the 2004 All England event, Jonatan beat his compatriot, Anthony Sinisuka Ginting. Apart from being the 2024 All England runner-up, Anthony has also won a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and won the 2023 Badminton Asia Championships.
Meanwhile, the men's doubles player Fajar/Rian won the champion title of All England 2023, champion of Malaysia Open 2023, and third place winner of the BWF World Championship 2022. His teammate, Bagas/Fikri, became the champion of All England 2022.
In the upcoming final match, the Indonesian Thomas team will face China. China is a strong opponent for Indonesia in the Thomas Cup competition. The country has won 10 championships out of 13 times in the finals. As a special note, out of ten times the Thomas Cup has been held (2004-2022), China has won six championships. This means that in the last decade, China's men's badminton strength has been quite dominant.
From the perspective of global player rankings, China and Indonesia also compete for dominance. In the list of the top 10 best players in the world as of April 30, 2024, two men's singles players and two men's doubles pairs from Indonesia and China are on the list.
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Rudy Hartono and Tjun Tjun, members of the Indonesian Thomas Cup team, were warmly welcomed upon their arrival at Halim Perdanakusuma Airbase in Jakarta on Wednesday (9/6/1976).
History of the Thomas Cup
It is undeniable that the Pala Thomas finals between Indonesia and China will present an exciting competition considering both countries' track records in this event. Referring to Kompaspedia, in its history, this men's team badminton championship was presented for Sir George Thomas Bart, a British citizen who became a legend in the world of badminton sports.
Thomas, who was born in 1881 and passed away in 1972, was the most successful badminton player for 30 years. As a player, he had won championships in 90 matches at the European level and 50 times in international competitions. In addition to being the All England champion for men's singles, he also won championships in men's doubles and mixed doubles.
Also read: Indonesia, Home of World Badminton
In addition to being skilled in badminton, Thomas was also an expert in organizing. From 1934 to 1955, he served as the President of the World Badminton Federation (IBF).
As the top figure in IBF, Thomas proposed an international men's badminton team championship. To make this happen, Thomas presented a trophy in 1939 which was contested in the 1941-1942 championship.
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Rudy Hartono greeted Ny Betty Scheele, a veteran badminton figure from England and also the wife of the late Herbert Scheele, during the Thomas Cup tournament in Jakarta on Wednesday (April 30th, 1986).
This cup was made in London from silver overlaid with gold, measuring 71 centimeters in height and 40 centimeters in width, worth 40,000 US dollars. The cup consists of three parts: the base, the body of the cup, and the lid. The lid of the cup features a sculpture of a male player. The front of the cup bears the inscription "The International Badminton Championship Challenge Cup. Presented to the International Badminton Federation by Sir George Thomas Bart, 1939."
This championship was first held in Preston, England, in 1948-1949. In this championship, Malaya succeeded in bringing home the Thomas Cup for the first time. Since it was first held until now, only six countries have succeeded in winning the Thomas Cup, namely Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Denmark, Japan and India. (R&D COMPAS)
Also read: India's Golden Generation Surprises at the 2022 Thomas Cup
