The 2008 Thomas Uber Cup just got underway this afternoon.  It is one of the most prestigious badminton tournaments in the world.   The tournament is different from the Badminton Super Series in that it is a team event, where each country has its own team.  The teams battle each other in men’s singles and men’s doubles for the Thomas Cup and the women’s singles and doubles for the Uber Cup.  Throughout its history, the tournament has been dominated by Indonesia with 13 titles, followed by China with 6 titles and Malaysia, 5 titles.

This year’s host is Indonesia.  Their team will be led by the men’s singles olympic champion Taufik Hidayat.  The Indonesian crowd and the fans will surely rute for their home team.  But the defending champion  China will have a lot to say.  Their top 3 men’s singles players Lin Dan, Bao Chunlai and Chen Jin, World ranked 1, 3 and 4 respectively, will definitely set the shutlles blazing with their awesome smashes.  On the other end, Malaysia is also claiming that this is their year.  After a long drought in the tournament, their team will be depending on men’s singles world number 2, Lee Chong Wei and their men’s doubles badminton players Koo Kien Kiat and Tan Boon Heong to carry them through the finals and capture the title.

The tournament has just started and it’s a long way to go.  Who will capture the title this year?  Will it be host Indonesia?  Will it be the defending champion China?  Or will it be powerhouse Malaysia?