FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEBRUARY 19, 1996

U.S. MEN, WOMEN EXIT THOMAS AND UBER CUP WORLD TEAM BADMINTON
CHAMPIONSHIPS ON A STRONG NOTE
  
(COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.)  -- The U.S. men's Thomas Cup and
women's Uber Cup teams found victory today, but it was too
little, too late as neither team advanced to the semifinal round
of the 1996 Thomas and Uber Cup World Team Badminton Championship
Preliminaries (Prague, Czech Republic, February 17-24). 

The U.S. men's Thomas Cup team blasted Slovenia 5-0 today in
Thomas Cup action, with Kevin Han (Colorado Springs, Colo.),
David Shaw (Atlanta, Ga.), Mark Manha (Miller Place, N.Y.),
Han/Tom Reidy (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Chris Hales (Wooster, Ohio)/Mike
Edstrom (Denver, Colo.) all winning for the U.S.  The U.S. men
finished 2-1, and second in their pool behind Germany (3-0), who
will advance to the Thomas Cup Preliminary semifinals.

In Uber Cup action, the U.S. women won by forfeit today over
Nepal.  With the victory, the U.S. team of Linda French
(Elmhurst, Ill.), Erika Von Heiland (Anaheim, Calif.), Ngoc Tran
(El Sobrante, Calif.), Stefanie Westermann (Berlin, GER), Kathy
Zimmerman (Denver, Colo.), and Zhao Yeping (Gaithersburg, Md.)
finished 2-1.  The U.S. beat Mauritius 5-0 in the opening round
for their other victory, but lost to Ukraine 5-0 on Sunday, who
will advance to the semifinals from Group C.       

The Thomas and Uber Cups are the world team badminton
championships for men and women, respectively, held every even
year.  Prague is the European Venue for the Thomas and Uber Cup
Preliminaries, while Auckland, New Zealand is the site of the
Asian Preliminaries (Feb. 18-25).    

The event is a team competition format, where each country plays
a best-of-five matches; three singles and two doubles against the
three other teams in their respective qualifying pools.  The
winner of each qualifying pool advances to the semifinal
stage, and from there the three semifinal winners from the
European venue will meet the three semifinal winners from the
Asian Venue at the 1996 Thomas and Uber Cup Finals (Hong Kong,
May 17-26).  The U.S. men's Thomas Cup pool consisted of Germany,
Malta, and Slovenia, while the U.S. women's Uber Cup pool
consisted of Ukraine, Mauritius, and Nepal.  

The competition is also an Olympic Qualifying Event, with results
affecting athletes' world player rankings.  The International
Badminton Federation (IBF) will announce the 192 person Olympic
badminton field (36 men's singles players, 36 women's singles
players, 20 men's doubles pairs, 20 women's doubles pairs, and 20
mixed doubles pairs) no later than April 15, 1996.


Complete U.S. Men's Results - 1996 Thomas Cup Preliminaries

Monday, February 16 - U.S. def. Slovenia 5-0

Kevin Han (Colorado Springs, Colo.) def. Andrew Poher (SLO) 15-5,
15-3

David Shaw (Atlanta, Ga.) def. Kristian Hajnseka (SLO) 15-4, 15-9

Mark Manha (Miller Place, N.Y.) def. Jaka Pelhan (SLO) 15-10, 15-
5

Kevin Han and Tom Reidy (Brooklyn, N.Y.) def. Andrew Poher and
Miha Sepec (SLO) 15-3, 15-9

Chris Hales (Wooster, Ohio) and Mike Edstrom (Denver, Colo.) def. 
Jaka Prliman and Miso Mattias (SLO) 16-17, 15-10, 15-7

Sunday, February 18 - Germany def. U.S. 5-0

Oliver Pongratz (GER) def. Han 12-15, 15-10, 15-4

Detlef Poste (GER) def. Reidy 15-12, 15-6

Marek Bujak (GER) def. Shaw 15-6, 13-15, 15-3     

Michael Keck and Michael Helber (GER) def. Han and Reidy 15-9,
15-6

Stephan Kuhl and Bjorn Siegemund (GER) def. Edstrom and Hales 15-
2, 15-3

Saturday, February 17 - U.S. def. Malta 5-0

Han def. Kenneth Vella (MLT) 15-1, 15-1

Shaw def. Aldo Polidano (MLT) 15-1, 15-2

Manha def. Noel Buttigieg (MLT) 15-5, 15-4

Reidy and Han def. Vella and Polidano (MLT) 15-2, 15-3

Edstrom and Hales def. Edmond Abela and Simon Spletri (MLT) 15-1,
15-4

Final Group D Standings
Germany 3-0
U.S. 2-1
Slovenia 1-2
Malta 0-3

*Germany advances to Semifinal Stage of Preliminary Round


Complete U.S. Women's Results - 1996 Uber Cup Preliminaries

Monday, February 19 - U.S. def. Nepal by default

Sunday, February 18 - Ukraine def. U.S. 5-0

Elna Noedran (UKR) def. Tang (formally Zhao) Yeping
(Gaithersburg, Md.) 11-1, 11-6

Victoria Eutusenko (UKR) def. Kathy Zimmerman (Denver, Colo.) 11-
3, 11-7

Natalia Esipenko (UKR) def. Erika Von Heiland (Anaheim, Calif.)
11-1, 11-2

Victoria Eutusenko and Elna Noedran (UKR) def. Linda French
(Elmhurst, Ill.) and Tang 3-15, 15-5, 15-11

Natalia Atraschenkova and Natalia Esipenko (UKR) def. Zimmermand
and Stefanie Westermann (Berlin, GER) 15-9, 18-14

Saturday, February 17 - U.S. def. Mauritius 5-0

Tang def. Martine De Souza (MRI) 11-1, 11-6

Zimmerman def. M.J. Jean-Pierre (MRI) 11-5, 11-1

Von Heiland def. Vandanah Seesurron (MRI) 11-1, 11-5

French and Tang def. Martine De Souza and M.J. Jean-Pierre (MRI)
15-5, 15-6

Zimmerman and Westermann def. Vandanah Seesurron and Selvon
Marudamuthu (MRI) 15-0, 15-14

Final Group C Standings
Ukraine (3-0)
U.S. (2-1)
Mauritius (1-2)
Nepal (0-3)

*Ukraine advances to Semifinal Stage of Preliminary Round

### 

(FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT PAUL PAWLACZYK, USBA
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, AT 719-578-4808).