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
Badminton at the Summer Olympics Badminton at the Summer Olympics Badminton had its debut at the 1992 Summer Olympics and has been contested in 6 Olympiads. 69 different nations have appeared in the Olympic badminton competitions, with 19 appearing all 7 times. It is governed by the Badminton World Federation. The 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich saw the first appearance of badminton, as a demonstration sport. Two decades later the sport debuted in competition at the Barcelona 1992 games where 4 events were held, with singles and doubles events for both men and women. Four medals were awarded in each event, including two bronzes. The