Badminton: Thomas Cup

Which team will be triumphant in the 2008 edition Thomas Cup? Thomas cup is the World Men’s Badminton Team Championship. Well, historically, only Malaysia (5), Indonesia (13) and China (6) had won the Cup.

On paper, it looks like China will be champion again this year but this can’t be say with great assurance. The single players are said to be the key of success with an impressive line up of Lin Dan, Bao Chunlai, Chen Jin and Chen Yu. They are easily top 5 players at the moment. However, their performances are not as consistent as some of them lose to a lower seed player this year. The double players are quite solid. Actually, there are hardly any differences between the double players nowadays as most of them are equally strong. High expectation on them and for the Olympic Beijing might cause the players crumble under pressure.

I fear Malaysia might not even make it to the semi final this year. All the 3 singles are not consistent this year and most of Malaysian players tend to crack under pressure. Malaysian players have the skill and speed but lack of discipline and mental toughness. My prediction is a quarter final appearances only.

Indonesia on the other hand is a bit tricky. They are playing in their home ground and should not be taken lightly. Should able to make it to the semi final, at least. Solid single line up, although not impressive. The double should be solid. The Indonesian seems to be able to adapt to the change in partner in the double department. Chandra Wijaya-Nova Widianto might play an important role as the second double.

South Korea is underrated team but do keep a lookout of them. They have a very steady and solid 3 single players and formidable double players. It is my opinion that they have the most balance team in the competition this year. I would not be surprised if they win this championship this year. At least a semi final appearances.

The only European country in this tournament this year is Denmark. I believe the players will struggle with the tropical weather and the humidity in Jakarta and probably reach the quarter-final only. Peter Gade Christensen had been absent for a long time and he will be playing second single this time. It is very hard to predict whether he can deliver this time or not. The double department is solid with all 3 pairs in their disposal can match with other top pairs. The Danish players are mentally strong and should be a tough nut to crack.

This is a team event and team work is therefore essential. Among the countries, I am really impressed with the European players. They stand united and support each other in the team event. Even the Uber cup players support the men and vice versa. Sometimes players from European region will join in to support such as England, Sweden and Netherlands. You will never see this type of team support from the Asian team.

My prediction for the winner this year: South Korea