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 South African Badminton Union not to participate in the Thomas and Uber Cups or IBF World Championships. Relatively minor changes in voting rules were also approved. In March 1981, a special conference was held with the voting result of 57 to 4 in support of unification. On May 26, 1981, the World Badminton Federation officially united with International 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