The Australia national badminton team represents Australia in international badminton team competitions.[2] The national team is controlled by Badminton Australia, the top governing body for badminton in the country.
Australia's badminton history first began in 1900, when the sport was played and was considered a popular pastime for church groups which played the game in church halls. In 1932, Badminton Australia was established which led to the formation of the national team. Nicknamed the Falcons,[3] the Australian team made their international team debut when the men's team competed in the 1955 Thomas Cup.
Men's team
Australia qualified for their first Thomas Cup in 1955 after defeating New Zealand 7–2 in the Australasian zone qualifiers.[4] The team then lost 9–0 to Denmark in the inter-zone playoffs.[5] In the 1961 Thomas Cup, the Australian team failed to advance further after losing the first round to Thailand.[4]
After 49 years, Australia qualified for the Thomas Cup once again in 2010 after being crowned champions at the 2010 Oceania Men's Team Championships.[6][7] The team were eliminated in the group stages after losing to Indonesia and India in Group D.[8] The team failed to qualify for the next two editions of the championships but returned to the 2018 Thomas Cup. The team lost all their matches in Group A against China, France and India.[9][10]
In 2020, the team qualified for the 2020 Thomas Cup but withdrew from the competition due to travel costs and quarantine restrictions in the country.[11][12] The team were then replaced by Tahiti.[13]
Women's team
The Australian women's team made their Uber Cup debut in 1975 after defeating New Zealand. The team missed their chances of entering the second round after losing narrowly to Canada.[14]
The Australian mixed team first competed in the 1982 Commonwealth Games. The team won third place after winning against New Zealand in the bronze-medal tie. The team won third place for a second time in 1986 after a close battle against Scotland. In 1989, the team competed in the inaugural edition of the Sudirman Cup. The team lost 4–1 to Scotland but managed to win 3–2 against Germany and Poland to claim 16th place in the final standings.[15] The team won the first two Oceania Mixed Team Championships in 1999 and 2002. The team won every mixed team title in the 2010s.[16]
^"Australian Badminton Falcons". Retrieved 22 February 2023.
^"2007 Sudirman Cup - Groups" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2007.
^"Falcons". Badminton Australia. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
^ a b"Archiv Thomas Cup". Mike's Badminton Populorum. Archived from the original on 30 March 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
^"Archiv Thomas Cup". Mike's Badminton Populorum. Archived from the original on 30 March 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
^Sachetat, Raphaël. "THOMAS UBER CUP 2010 – Draws Out". Retrieved 15 March 2023.
^"Badminton: Australia dominate final day of Oceania champs". Otago Daily Times Online News. 27 February 2010. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
^"Thomas Cup: China beats South Korea, India edges Australia". The Star. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
^Banerjee, Sudeshna (22 May 2018). "Thomas and Uber Cup 2018: Indian men's and women's teams pummel Australia". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
^"汤杯国羽5-0轻取澳洲,印度男女队均1-4输球丨汤尤杯首日". www.aiyuke.com. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
^ a bTom (9 August 2021). "Tahiti to compete in TotalEnergies BWF Sudirman Cup, Thomas and Uber Cup Finals 2021". Badminton Oceania. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
^"Australia Mundur dari Piala Thomas dan Uber". Republika Online (in Indonesian). 9 September 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
^Aritona, Kautsar Rivolta. "Hasil Drawing Pembagian Grup Kejuaraan Thomas Cup dan Uber Cup 2020 di Denmark". semarangku.pikiran-rakyat.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 15 March 2023.
^"1974-75 Uber Cup - First Round". Tangkis Tripod. Archived from the original on 14 December 2006. Retrieved 14 December 2006.
^Populorum, Mike. "Archiv SudirmanCup". sbg.ac.at. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
^"BWF - VICTOR Oceania Mixed Team Championships 2019 - Winners". bwf.tournamentsoftware.com. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
^"Australia win sixth straight mixed team title at Oceania Badminton Championships". www.insidethegames.biz. 19 February 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
^"Who has qualified for the 2023 Sudirman Cup?". www.badmintoneurope.com. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
^"Sudirman Cup 2023 Schedule And 16 Countries That Qualified Qualifications". VOI - Waktunya Merevolusi Pemberitaan. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
^"Staff". Badminton Australia. Retrieved 28 March 2023.