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COUNTDOWN TO
HISTORY OF
THE WORLDS
COPENHAGEN
The All England Championships was for long
considered the unofficial World Championships,
but by the 1970s there was increasing demand for
a World Championships endorsed by badminton’s
governing body.
Heeding to the demand, the International
Badminton Federation (IBF) conducted a trial run
with a World Invitation in Jakarta. Held 12-15
November 1972 – and with only men’s events – the
tournament was a success, with crowds of 10,000
to 12,000 per session.
Indonesia’s legendary Rudy Hartono emerged
triumphant at the World Invitation, beating
Denmark’s Svend Pri in the final. The Men’s
Doubles was an all-Indonesian affair: Tjun Tjun and
Wahjudi overcoming Christian Hadinata and Ade
Chandra. It would be a few years before the birth of
the official World Championships. An IBF vote
(64-0 margin) in 1975 decided the first
Championships would be in Malmo, Sweden, in
1977.
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The World Championships debuted at the Malmo
Ice Stadium; a vast complex that nearly derailed
the campaign of eventual champion, Flemming
Delfs of Denmark. Having neutralised a one-game
deficit against England’s Ray Stevens in the
second round, Delfs headed for the permitted
five-minute toilet break, but returned after eight
minutes, to be told by umpire Ole Mertz that he
was scratched off and the match awarded to his
opponent. However, Stevens intervened and the
umpire changed his mind. The match resumed
and Delfs won easily. The rest is history!
2
The Worlds returned to Europe in 1983. Bronby
Hallen in Copenhagen was sold out long before
the finals in anticipation of victories by local stars
Morten Frost and Lene Koppen. However, this was
the first World Championships since China’s
admission into the IBF and the newcomers
immediately made their presence felt in the
women’s events.
Li Lingwei beat compatriot Han Aiping for the
Women’s Singles crown, while Wu Dixi/Liu Ying
overcame defending champions Perry/Webster.
However, it was the Men’s Singles showdown that
took everyone’s breath away, being hailed one of
the greatest matches ever. Indonesian youngster
Icuk Sugiarto (4) upset Frost and Prakash
Padukone en route to the final against King. It was
a brilliant exhibition between the attacking flair of
King and the astounding defence of Sugiarto – the
latter thwarting the big-hitting King for the world
crown: 15-8 12-15 17-16.
The heat, humidity and thunderous support
worked perfectly for the Indonesians as they
captured four of five titles. Hartono quelled
younger compatriot King in a one-sided affair to
finally lay claim to the official World Champion title;
Verawaty
Wiharjo
(Women’s
Singles),
Chandra/Hadinata
(Men’s
Doubles)
and
BADMINTON WORLD FEDERATION
5
Ling/Huang Sui (6) as well as Lin Ying, Guan
Weizhen and Yu Yang.
The other three events have been more evenly
contested. China’s Lin Dan (5) is easily the most
accomplished Men’s Singles player in history, with
five World titles, followed by compatriot Yang Yang
with two. Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng (China) have four
Men’s Doubles titles including three straight victories
between 2009 and 2011. The baton in Men’s
Doubles has frequently shifted hands, from the likes
of Park Joo Bong/Kim Moon Soo of Korea (3) in 1985
and 1991 to the Indonesian greats of the mid-1990s
such as Rexy Mainaky/Ricky Subagja and Candra
Wijaya/Sigit Budiarto and back to Korea’s Ha Tae
Kwon/Kim Dong Moon.
Mixed Doubles too has not seen a single dominant
pair: the only players to win three World titles each
are Indonesia’s Liliyana Natsir and Korea’s Park Joo
Bong (bringing his World Championships tally to five
overall). Denmark’s Thomas Lund is the only
European to have won two titles in this category.
Apart from Koppen in 1977, England’s Nora Perry is
the only European woman to boast two World
Championships: the 1980 Women’s Doubles title
and the 1983 Mixed Doubles crown (partnered by
Sweden’s Thomas Kihlstrom).
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In its 36 years, the World Championships have seen
some of the most gripping sporting moments. As it
enters its 37th year, there is no doubt Copenhagen
will witness more riveting action.
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HOST CITIES
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Despite these shifts, the women’s events have
been China’s monopoly. Since their World
Championships debut in 1983, China have won 15
Women’s Singles and 17 Women’s Doubles titles in
18 editions. Among the accomplished names in
these events, certain players stand tall. In singles,
Li Lingwei, Han Aiping, Ye Zhaoying and Xie
Xingfang boast two titles each while doubles
exponents such as Ge Fei/Gu Jun, Nong Qunhua
and Yang Wei claimed two each also. There are
five women who have won three World
Championships in doubles – the pair of Gao
Everything points to a close battle and a
championships that could be one for the ages.
While Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei (9) heads in as
Men’s Singles favourite in the absence of
defending champion Lin Dan (China), a number of
others will be relishing their prospects. China’s
Chen Long suffered some unexpected losses
earlier this year after a stellar 2013.
Uncharacteristically, he has won only a single
tournament in seven months and will look to the
Li-Ning BWF World Championships to redeem
himself.
1977: Malmo (Sweden)
1980: Jakarta (Indonesia)
1983: Copenhagen (Denmark)
1985: Calgary (Canada)
1987: Beijing (China)
1989: Jakarta (Indonesia)
1991: Copenhagen (Denmark)
1993: Birmingham (England)
1995: Lausanne (Switzerland)
1997: Glasgow (Scotland)
1999: Copenhagen (Denmark)
2001: Seville (Spain)
2003: Birmingham (England)
2005: Anaheim (USA)
2006: Madrid (Spain)
2007: Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
2009: Hyderabad (India)
2010: Paris (France)
2011: London (England)
2013: Guangzhou (China)
India’s Saina Nehwal, winner of the recent
Australian Open, her compatriot PV Sindhu and
Korea’s Sung Ji Hyun are their biggest threats,
while defending champion Intanon has struggled
since her last triumph. However, she cannot be
underestimated. Spain’s Carolina Marin, Japan’s
Sayaka
Takahashi,
Thailand’s
Porntip
Buranaprasertsuk and Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu
Ying are all capable of toppling the pre-tournament
favourites.
7
Among their principal opponents will be a player
who has rapidly risen in stature: Jan O Jorgensen.
The Dane is enjoying the best phase of his career
so far and the advantage of playing at home could
be just the edge he needs to flourish even further.
His Indonesian Open victory in June proved that
he can deliver in high-pressure situations.
Japan’s Kenichi Tago led his country to an
unprecedented Thomas Cup triumph in May. As
one of the few players to have beaten Lee Chong
Wei in recent times, Tago’s abilities are beyond
question. Having failed at the final step in several
Superseries outings, he will be keen to banish his
demons once and for all with the World title.
The first three World Championships thus were the
best advertisement badminton could have
imagined. Subsequently, this event traversed the
world and has been hosted at locales such as
Anaheim, Calgary, Hyderabad, Lausanne, Madrid
and Seville. As years have passed, the World
Championships have come to reflect the sport’s
dynamics: China’s dominance in the second half of
the 1980s followed by Indonesia’s resurgence in
the 1990s and the emergence of Korea as a world
power.
Denmark claimed three titles in Malmo, with
another Dane, Lene Koppen (2), bagging a double
in Women’s Singles (over England’s Gillian Gilks in
a thriller) and Mixed Doubles (with Steen
Skovgaard). Tjun Tjun/Wahjudi repeated their
World Invitation result over Hadinata/Chandra in
the final, while Etsuko Toganoo/Emiko Ueno
(Japan) emerged Women’s Doubles champions.
The first three World Championships were held
every three years but from 1983 it became a
biennial tournament and then an annual event from
2005. Jakarta feverishly awaited the second World
Championships in 1980, especially as Liem Swie
King, heir to Rudy Hartono, had been beaten in the
final of the All England. Hartono too announced a
comeback and the Istora Senayan was packed
with 14,000 fans.
Perhaps no BWF World Championships in recent
years has had the even field that the 2014 edition
appears to have.
Hadinata/Imelda Wigoeno (Mixed Doubles) were
the other winners. The only non-Indonesian
champions were England’s Nora Perry/Jane
Webster in Women's Doubles (1).
Others capable of making an impact are
Indonesia’s Tommy Sugiarto, Vietnam’s Nguyen
Tien Minh, India’s Kashyap Parupalli – fresh from
his Commonwealth Games gold – and Japan’s
unflappable young gun, Kento Momota.
9
Denmark has strong contenders in each of the
three doubles events. In Men’s Doubles, Mathias
Boe/Carsten Mogensen have a fair shot, but they
have formidable opposition in Korea’s Lee Yong
Dae/Yoo Yeon Seong (8); defending champions
Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia
(7) and Japan’s Hiroyuki Endo/Kenichi Hayakawa.
Lee and Yoo are heavily tipped to win as they
recently celebrated a hat-trick of BWF World
Superseries titles.
Women’s Singles is expected to be a contest
among the top three Chinese: Li Xuerui (12), Wang
Shixian and Wang Yihan. They have been the most
dominant players this season. Li in particular
appears to have rediscovered her magical touch
of 2012 and is on a three-tournament winning
streak. She will certainly feel she has some
unfinished business at this level, having lost last
year’s memorable final to Thai teen, Ratchanok
Intanon (12).
In the absence of defending champions Tontowi
Ahmad/Liliyana Natsir of Indonesia, Mixed Doubles
is likely to be a fight among three stellar partnerships
– Denmark’s Joachim Fischer Nielsen/Christinna
Pedersen (11); and China’s Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei
and their team-mates, Xu Chen/Ma Jin. England’s
Chris and Gabrielle Adcock, Korea’s Ko Sung
Hyun/Kim Ha Na and Germany’s Michael
Fuchs/Birgit Michels have been in good form
recently and can indeed go all the way. If last year’s
final is anything to go by – with the Indonesians
saving two match points versus Xu and Ma en route
to victory – this one will go to the wire.
This will be the fourth occasion on which
Copenhagen welcomes the badminton family for the
World Championships, having hosted the 1983,
1991 and 1999 editions of the tournament. This
year’s venue – Ballerup Super Arena – is famed for
staging world-class events, including music
concerts, and has a seating capacity of 6,500. Now,
it will be able to add badminton’s biggest spectacle
to its list. Organisers have promised a week to
remember and are striving to offer some unique
touches.
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China have enviable depth in Women’s Doubles.
Few would bet against them, with the powerhouse
having won an incredible 17 out of the last 18
World Championships. Add to that the luxury of
four top pairs at their disposal – defending
champions Yu Yang/Wang Xiaoli; Bao Yixin/Tang
Jinhua (10); Luo Ying/Luo Yu; Tian Qing/Zhao
Yunlei – and it’s clear it will take something special
to derail them in this category. Their closest
challengers, including Ayaka Takahashi/Misaki
Matsutomo (Japan) and Denmark’s Christinna
Pedersen/Kamilla Rytter Juhl, have their work cut
out to emerge victorious.
www.bwfbadminton.org
For those who like to indulge their taste buds while
watching sport, Badminton Denmark has planned a
superb culinary experience. Fans can buy First
Class tickets that combine fine dining with the best
seats in the house, up close to the action. A
six-course menu, ranging from DKK 27,500 to DKK
50,000 in price, will be served by a two-star Michelin
restaurant. Guests will be greeted by Danish
badminton legend Peter Gade who will provide
special insights into the World Championships. Fans
can also purchase VIP business tickets which gives
them access to the VIP Lounge, VIP seats, buffet and
drinks, and a chance to meet the ‘Badminton
Personality Host of the Day’. VIP tickets cost DKK
1,500 per person per session. Regular tickets are
priced between DKK 150 and 290 for adults.
Tickets can be bought at www.billetnet.dk and other
relevant details are available at: www.denmark2014.com.
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