The Austria national badminton team (German: Österreichische badminton-nationalmannschaft) represents Austria in international badminton team competitions and is controlled by the Austrian Badminton Association (Austrian German: Österreichischer Badmintonverband).[1] Austria participated in the Sudirman Cup from 1989 until 2017.
Badminton was first played in Austria in the year 1955.[2] The national team was formed after the establishment of the Austrian Badminton Association in August 1957.[2] The national association soon held its very first national championships to crown the best player to represent the national team in team events.
Austria made their first international team appearance when the mixed team competed at the 1962 Helvetia Cup. The team did well to achieve third place in their first time competing internationally.[3]
The Austrian men's team first competed in qualifying for the 1982 Thomas Cup. The team were humiliated on home soil after losing 9–0 against the Netherlands in Pressbaum.[4] The team had better results two years later after beating Norway 3–2 in the 1984 Thomas Cup qualifiers.[4] In 1996, the Austrian team advanced to the semifinal stages of the 1996 Thomas Cup qualifiers but failed to advance further after failing to top the group.[4]
Austria then competed in the first European Men's Team Championships in 2006. The team topped their group in the group stages and advanced to the quarter-finals but lost 3–0 to their Dutch rivals.[5][6] The men's team have failed to get past the group stage of the European Men's Team Championships since 2008.
The women's team took part in qualifying for the 1984 Uber Cup. The team lost 5–0 to Scotland, but won 5–0 against Zambia and Switzerland to finish as group runner-up.[7]
The team competed in the inaugural edition of the Sudirman Cup in 1989. The team were placed in Group 5 with New Zealand, Finland and the United States.[11] The team lost all their matches against New Zealand and the United States but managed to win a match against Finland to finish in 22nd place. In 1990, the Austrian team strived and were crowned champions for the first time at the 1990 Helvetia Cup.[3] In the 1993 Sudirman Cup, Austria shown improvement after topping their group and finishing in 19th place.[11]
The Austrian team competed for the next few European Mixed Team Badminton Championships until 2011 and have never been able to get past the group stage. The team have failed to qualify for the Sudirman Cup since 2017.[12]
7 (2 January 2024)
Kent Madsen
Adi Pratama