Uber Cup

Uber Cup

The Uber Cup, sometimes called the World Team Championships for Women, is a major international badminton competition contested by women's national badminton teams. First held in 1956â€"1957 and contested at three year intervals, it has been contested every two years since 1984 when its scheduled times and venues were merged with those of Thomas Cup, the world men's team championship. The Uber Cup is named after a former British women's badminton player, Betty Uber, who in 1950 had the idea of hosting a women's event similar to that of the men. She also made the draw for the 1956â€"1957 inaugural tournament, which took place at Lytham St. Annes in Lancashire, England.
The cup follows a similar format to that of the men's competition of the Thomas Cup. As of the 2012 tournament, China is the most successful team, having won twelve times. Japan is second, having won it five times, followed by Indonesia and United States, each with three cups.
The 2010 Uber Cup was contested in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 2012 tournament was held in Wuhan, China from May 20â€"27, 2012.
The Uber Cup trophy was officially presented at the annual general meeting in 1956, the year the 1st Uber Cup tournament was 1st held. It was made by Mappin & Webb, prominent silversmiths on Regent Street in London. The trophy is 20 inches high with a rotating globe on top of a plinth and a female player standing on top of a shuttlecock.
So far, only 5 countries have won the Uber Cup with China the most successful team with 12 titles, followed by Japan, Indonesia (3 titles), United States (3 titles) and Korea (1 title). The Uber Cup has only crossed the shores of two continents so far: Asia and North America.
Eight teams have made it into the finals. The finalists other than 5 winner countries above are Denmark, England and the Netherlands. Sweden, Germany and Chinese Taipei are the other three teams which have made it into the final four.
As of 2012, twenty-one teams were qualified in the whole history of the competition for the final stages of the Uber Cup. Asia is the continent with most teams at ten, followed by Europe with six. Americas and Oceania have each had two teams that qualified while South Africa is the only team that has qualified from Africa.

Related Sites for Uber Cup

• Thomas & Uber Cups - Badminton World Federation read Uber Cup
• Uber Digital | Creative design agency in London and New York read Uber Cup