FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAY 24, 1996

FINALS SET FOR 1996 THOMAS AND UBER CUP BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

(COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.) - Tomorrow China will have the opportunity
to make history at the 1996 Uber Cup championships, as they bid to win
their sixth Uber Cup final.  The road to the championship will not be
an easy one however, as they will have to get by 1994 Cup holders
Indonesia.

The Indonesians advanced to the finals behind the heroics of 16
year-old sensation Mia Audina, who fought through a knee injury to
defeat South Korean Kim Ji-Hyun 11-6, 11-12, 11-4 and clinch the match
3-2.

The 1996 final will be a rematch of the 1994 final, where Indonesia
defeated China 3-2 in front of a raucous hometown crowd in Jakarta.
Things will likely be different in Hong Kong however, as China has the
crowd, and talent on their side.  A lopsided 5-0 over the Indonesians
earlier in the tournament highlights this fact.

On the men's side, Denmark carried the European flag into the finals
with a 3-2 victory over China today.  It took a heroic effort from
1996 All-England champion Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen to do so however.
Already down one game to China's Dong Jiong, Hoyer-Larsen came back
from a 1-13 deficit to win the second 18-17.  He then went on to win
the third 15-11, and the match. 

The victory over China catapulted the Danes into the Thomas Cup finals
for the first time since 1979.  It was there they suffered an
embarrassing 9-0 loss to Indonesia twenty-seven years ago.  They will
have the opportunity to avenge that loss this year however, as they
once again take on Indonesia in final.  The Indonesians defeated a
tough Korea 3-2 to advance.

"We will beat Denmark on Sunday," said a confident 1992 Olympic gold
medalist Allan Budi Kusuma.

Added Indonesian team leader Lutfi Hamid, "We are afraid of the Danes,
but we can beat them."

The Thomas and Uber Cups are the men's and women's team championships
respectively , held every even year.               

RESULTS - THURSDAY'S 1996 WOMEN'S UBER CUP SEMIFINALS (Best of 5
matches - 3 singles, 2 doubles) 

CHINA DEF. DENMARK 5-0 (CHINESE NAMES FIRST)
Ye Zhaoying def. Camilla Martin 11-8, 11-3
Ge Fei/Gu Jun def. Helene Kirkegaard/Rikke Olsen 17-14, 15-3
Wang Chen def. Anne Sondergaard 11-0, 11-8
Qin Yiyuan/Tang Yongshu def. Lotte Olsen/Ann Jorgensen 15-6, 18-15
Zhang Ning def. Mette Pedersen 11-5, 11-2

INDONESIA DEF. KOREA 4-1 (INDONESIAN NAMES FIRST)
Susi Susanti def. Bang Soo Hyun 11-7, 11-0
Eliza/Rosiana Zelin def. Gil Young Ah/Jang Hye-Ock 15-3, 17-16
Mia Audina def. Kim Ji-Hyun 11-6, 11-12, 11-4
Finarsih/Lili Tampi def. Kim Shin-Young/Kim Mee-Hyang 10-15, 15-6, 15-7
Yuliani Sentoso lost to Ra Kyung Min 4-11, 4-11

SATURDAY'S UBER CUP FINAL MATCH-UP
China vs. Indonesia

RESULTS - FRIDAY'S 1996 MEN'S THOMAS CUP SEMIFINALS (Best of 5 matches
- 3 singles, 2 doubles)

INDONESIA DEF. KOREA 3-2 (INDONESIAN NAMES FIRST)
Joko Suprianto def. Park Sung-Woo 18-17, 15-1
Ricky Subagja and Rexy Mainaky def. Ha Tae-Kwon/Kang Kyung-Jin 15-10, 15-7
Allan Budi Kusuma def. Lee Kwang Jin 15-6, 15-9
Antonius and Denny Kantono lost to Park Joo Bong/Kim Dong Moon 0-15, 5-15
Ardy Wiranata lost to Ahn Jae-Chang 8-15, 3-15

DENMARK DEF. CHINA 3-2 (DANISH NAMES FIRST)
Poul-Erik Hoyer-Lasen def. Dong Jiong 6-15, 18-17, 15-11
Jim Laugesen/Jon Holst-Christensen 
  lost to Jiang Xin/Huang Zhanzhong 12-15, 7-15
Thomas Stuer-Lauridsen lost to Sun Jun 5-15, 8-15
Herik Svarrer/Michael Soggard def. Ge Cheng/Tao Xiaoqiang 15-5, 15-8
Peter Rasumssen def. Lin Liwen 15-12, 15-3

SUNDAY'S THOMAS CUP FINAL MATCHUP 
Indonesia vs. Denmark

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(FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT PAUL PAWLACZYK, USBA
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR AT 719-578-4808, E-MAIL: USBA1996@aol.com)