1949 Thomas Cup 1949 Thomas Cup The 1949 Thomas Cup was the inaugural tournament of Thomas Cup, the most important men's badminton team competition in the world. The tournament was originally planned for 1941-1942 (badminton seasons in the northern hemisphere traditionally ran from the autumn of one calendar year to the spring of the next), but was delayed when World War II exploded across the continents. Sir George's dream was finally realized in 1948-1949 when ten national teams participated in the first Thomas Cup competition. Three qualifying zones were established: Pan America, Europe, and the Pacific; though Malaya (now Malaysia) was the only
World Badminton Federation World Badminton Federation The World Badminton Federation is a former badminton organization, it was founded in February 1978 and ceased its operation on May 26, 1981 after it merged with the International Badminton Federation (now known as Badminton World Federation or BWF). The World Badminton Federation was established as a result of the dissatisfaction of some badminton nations, led by then non-IBF member China, with the policies of the International Badminton Federation, the governing body of international badminton formed in the 1930s. The two main issues were the IBF's acceptance of Taiwan (ROC) as a national organization, and its refusal