KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 3 — The national men’s and women’s badminton squads will face uphill tasks in the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals, which are slated to be held in Aarhus, Denmark from October 3-11.
Based on the draw, which was streamed live via the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Youtube channel, Malaysia was handed a tricky Thomas Cup draw after being pitted with 13-time champion Indonesia, England and the Netherlands in Group A.
The national women’s squad also face a daunting task in the Uber Cup after being drawn in Group B, dubbed the ‘Group of Death’, as they will have three-time champion Indonesia, two-time runner-up South Korea and minnows Australia for company.
Based on the competition format, the top two teams from each of the four groups in both the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup will advance into the quarter-finals.
Malaysia has won the Thomas Cup five-times — in 1949, 1952, 1955, 1967 and 1992. The national women’s team, however, has never won the Uber Cup since its inception in 1957 in England.
The draw
Thomas Cup:
Group A: Indonesia, Netherlands, England, Malaysia
Group B: China, Taiwan, Australia, France
Group C: Denmark, India, Germany, Algeria
Group D: Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Canada
Uber Cup:
Group A: Japan, Taiwan, Egypt, Spain
Group B: South Korea, Indonesia, Australia, MALAYSIA
Group C: Thailand, Denmark, Scotland, Canada
Group D: China, India, France, Germany — Bernama
