2019 Sudirman Cup

May 28, 2019

Come to a Close!

The exciting and inspiring Sudirman Cup 2019 has finally come to a close, and if you’re like the rest of the badminton fans of the world, you’re probably wondering how it all went down. We’re going to explore everything that you need to know while talking about a few highlights from the competition.

Another Reason to Come to China

May 19th till the 26 was filled with fun competition, seeing some impressive upsets and triumphs. This was the 16th edition of the Sudirman Cup taking place at the Guangxi Sports Center in beautiful Nanning, China. With 377 competitors from 31 different countries, this was a tournament that none shall soon forget.

It’s officially known as the 2019 Total BWF Sudirman Cup and it’s a biennial international badminton championship; if you didn’t already know. Run by the Badminton World Federation, the tournament has been in play since 1989. Coming into the event, Korea was the defending champion, but China went on to defeat Japan in the final tournament with a win of 3—0.

China v. Japan? Oh Yeah

The best players in the world descended upon Nanning and the tournament was divided into four groups, with twelve teams at the elite status and eight teams in the second and third groups. So, the exciting results? China came in first, followed by Japan, and then Indonesia and Thailand bringing up third and fourth.

This was China’s exciting 11th Sudirman Cup title, with Shi Yuqi upsetting Kento Momota in the final round. Sadly, Japan has never won the badminton world mixed-team championship, and their hopes were dashed upon the rocks again this year. With Tokyo’s Olympics on the horizon, there’s no doubt that China is smiling to themselves right about now.

Taking the Title from Korea

China has long dominated the sport, but sadly, they lost the trophy to South Korea two years ago. This year, powered by the 4,600-person crowd, Shi and Chen Yufei in the women’s division took back the glory, and they don’t plan on letting it go for some time. Did you know that Momota was the favored contender? The second-ranked Shi chose to put a stop to that in no uncertain terms, even though he had been defeated by Momota in the past.

The most dramatic moment of the tournament was when Shi sealed the championship with an impressive smash, sending his entire gang of teammates onto the court to embrace him. Momota chalked the whole thing up to being a ‘painful lesson,’ and we’re sure it’s one that he won’t be able to live down for some time. “I was surprised that Shi played this well,” he also added.

The Chen-Yamaguchi match was no less exciting, with the Chinese winning at 17-21, 21-16, 21-17. “I feel that I played a bit slow in the beginning, which caused me to waste a lot of energy,” Chen said, explaining her comeback. “I couldn’t keep up with her, but after a change in my game strategy, I took the lead.”

Fun Facts about Badminton

Interested in some fun facts about badminton after the exciting Sudirman Cup 2019? Let’s have a look!

  1. Badminton is Intense: Did you know that badminton is actually a more intense sport than tennis? It’s true. Total ball and shuttle play is almost twice the time as that of tennis.
  2. Asian Domination: Since badminton was introduced in the Olympics in 1992, Asian players have begun to dominate. They have won 93 of the 103 Olympic medals given out in the sport.
  3. 2nd Most Popular Sport in the World: You read that right. Badminton is the second most popular sport in the world. It follows right behind football.
  4. The Shuttlecock: What the players hit with their racquets is called a shuttlecock. Some just refer to it as a shuttle. The best ones are made from the feathers of the left-wing of a goose.
  5. Cat Strings: The badminton racquet strings are made from the stomach lining of cats. Eww! This needs no further explanation.
  6. The Chinese Invented It: The Chinese actually invented badminton. A sport called Ti Zian Ji was the precursor to badminton. The sport involved using one’s feet instead of racquets, and it’s still played in China today.

Looking Ahead

Are you ready to attend the Sudirman Cup 2020? You better get ready for all the excitement, because fans of this year’s competition are still reeling. If you’re a fan of badminton, or you merely want to go on a fun sports vacation, the Sudirman Cup is definitely the way to go!

You Might Also Like

Ready to Get Started?

Take control of your success with one platform that has all of the features you need to save time and make strides toward your business goals.

Get The Latest News

Stay up to date. Signup for our newsletter to discover helpful articles, videos, industry news and all of the latest features.

"*" indicates required fields

Name
Schedule Demo