World Invitation Championships was the invitational event in badminton, which was conducted in the absence of a world championship (the first badminton world championship took place only in 1977) brought together top players from all major badminton nations in a kind of unofficial world championship.
Thirteen World Invitation Tournaments took place in Scotland from 1954 to 1974 at Kelvin Hall in Glasgow. In November 1972, the Asia hosted first World Invitation Tournament in Jakarta. Others followed in Jakarta in October 1974 and in Kuala Lumpur in September 1975. In 1972 only the men's competitions were held and in 1974 and 1975 the women's competitions were reintroduced. 1974 had two editions, first of which was held in Glasgow in March where the second one was held in Jakarta in the month of October. One edition of Invitational World Championship was hosted by now defunct World Badminton Federation (WBF) in 1978.
Ranking | Country | MS | WS | MD | WD | XD | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Denmark | 5 | 6 | 2 | 4.5 | 17.5 | |
2 | England | 1 | 1 | 4.5 | 6.5 | 13 | |
3 | Indonesia | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | |
Malaysia | 4 | 5 | 9 | ||||
4 | Scotland | 1 | 1.5 | 3 | 5.5 | ||
5 | China | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
Japan | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||
United States | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||||
6 | Sweden | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | 2.5 | ||
Thailand | 2 | 0.5 | 2.5 | ||||
7 | Hong Kong | 1 | 1 |
The CONMEBOL Copa América, known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship, is the top men's football tournament contested among national teams from South America. It is the oldest still-running continental football competition, as well as the third most watched in the world. The competition determines the champions of South America. Since the 1990s, teams from North America and Asia have also been invited to compete.
The Canada Cup was an invitational international ice hockey tournament held on five occasions between 1976 and 1991. The brainchild of Toronto lawyer Alan Eagleson, the tournament was created to meet demand for a true world championship that allowed the best players from participating nations to compete regardless of their status as professional or amateur. It was sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation, Hockey Canada and the National Hockey League. Canada won the tournament four times, while the Soviet Union captured the championship once. It was succeeded by the World Cup of Hockey in 1996.
The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics and to administer national championships. During its existence, the AIAW and its predecessor, the Division for Girls' and Women's Sports (DGWS), recognized via these championships the teams and individuals who excelled at the highest level of women's collegiate competition.
Liem Swie King is an Indonesian former badminton player who excelled from the late 1970s through the mid-1980s. He won the All England in 1978, 1979 and 1981. He was one of the world's leading singles players of his era. A world level player in men's doubles as well as men's singles, he was known for the ferocity of his jumping smash.
The Thomas Cup, sometimes called the World Men's Team Championships, is an international badminton competition among teams representing member nations of the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport's global governing body. The championships have been conducted every two years since the 1982, amended from being conducted every three years since the first tournament held in 1948–1949.
The Uber Cup, sometimes called the World Women's Team Championships, is a major international badminton competition contested by women's national badminton teams. First held in 1956–1957 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. In 2007, the Badminton World Federation decided to have Thomas and Uber Cup finals separated again but the proposal was ultimately abandoned. 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 the men's. She also made the draw for the 1956–1957 inaugural tournament, which took place at Lytham St. Annes in Lancashire, England.
The AFC U-20 Asian Cup, formerly known as the AFC Youth Championship and AFC U-19 Championship, is a biennial international association football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men's under-20 national teams of Asia that also serves as a qualification tournament for the FIFA U-20 World Cup. The competition has been held since 1959. Between 1959 and 1978, the tournament was held annually ; since 1980, it has been held every two years. The 1980 AFC Youth Championship had a qualification stage for first time.
Sports in Indonesia are popular from both the participation and spectating aspect. Some popular sports in Indonesia are football, futsal, basketball, volleyball, badminton, and the native Indonesian martial art pencak silat. Badminton is arguably Indonesia's most successful sport. Indonesia has won gold medals in badminton in every Olympic Games since the sport was first introduced to the Olympics in 1992, with the exception of the 2012 Summer Olympics. Indonesia became the first grand winner in Badminton Olympics back then 1992. Indonesia regularly participates in the Thomas Cup, Uber Cup, and Sudirman Cup badminton championships, then became the first nation in history to complete those three titles. Indonesia also regularly participates in regional multi-events sport, such as the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games, and Olympic Games. Indonesia is one of the major sport powerhouses in the Southeast Asian region, winning the Southeast Asian Games 10 times since 1977.
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Sture Johnsson is a retired badminton player from Sweden who won numerous Swedish national and international men's singles titles. His game was characterized by impressive stamina and mobility, and a powerful overhead smash.
Datuk Tan Aik Huang is a Malaysian retired badminton player noted for his footwork and patience. He was a former All England Open champion, having won the men's singles title in 1966. Tan was a member of four Malaysian Thomas Cup teams including its world champion team of 1967. He also won numerous major international singles titles during the mid- and late 1960s including the Danish Open, the US Open, the Canadian Open, the Malaysian Open and the Singapore Open. Additionally, Tan holds the distinction of being the first Malaysian shuttler in the Commonwealth Games to win gold medals in two individual events. He is the elder brother of Tan Aik Mong.
Margaret Beck was a badminton player from England who ranked among the world's best during most of the 1970s.
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The 1975 Uber Cup was the seventh edition of the Uber Cup, the women's badminton team competition. The tournament took place in the 1974-75 badminton season, 14 countries competed. Indonesia won its first title in the Uber Cup, after beating the defending champion Japan in the Final Round in Jakarta.
The Women's European Volleyball Championship is the official competition for senior women's national volleyball teams of Europe, organized by the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV). The initial gap between championships was variable, but since 1975 they have been awarded every two years. The current champion is Turkey, which won its first title at the 2023 tournament.
The FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship is an international volleyball competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), the sport's global governing body. The initial gap between championships was variable, but since 1962 they were held every four years. The tournament will be held biennially starting in 2025.
The FIVB Volleyball Men's World Cup is an international volleyball competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), the sport's global governing body. Initially the tournament was played in the year following the Olympic Games, except for 1973 when no tournament was held, but since 1991 the World Cup has been awarded in the year preceding the Olympic Games.
The FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup is an international volleyball competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), the sport's global governing body. Initially the tournament was played in the year following the Olympic Games, but since 1991 the World Cup has been awarded in the year preceding the Olympic Games. The current champion is Turkey, which won its first title at the 2023 tournament.
The Men's European Volleyball Championship (EuroVolley) is the official competition for senior men's national volleyball teams of Europe, organized by the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV). The initial gap between championships was variable, but since 1975 they have been awarded every two years. The current champion is Poland, which won its second title at the 2023 tournament.