Hendra Setiawan to coach at Thomas Cup 2026

JAKARTA - Olympic gold medalist Hendra Setiawan will play a role as a coach in the 2026 Thomas Cup which will be held from April 24 to May 3, 2026 in Horsens, Denmark.

This is the first time Hendra has sat in the coach's seat after being the mainstay of the Indonesian men's doubles sector in the most prestigious men's doubles event for many years.

Hendra said that it never crossed his mind that he could be in the Thomas Cup team squad and as a coach.

"However, this is a call so I have to be ready. This is also for my experience as a coach," said the legend who once led Indonesia to win the 2020 Thomas Cup in Denmark.

Hendra is one of the legends in the history of Indonesian badminton. He is a four-time world champion (one time with Markis Kido and three times with Mohammad Ahsan) and a gold medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

He said that sitting in the coach's chair for a very big badminton event was not an easy task because with the team he had to decide who the players were ready to play in every match.

"Yesterday I talked to Antonius Budi Ariantho (men's doubles coach) to map out who (the player) is against this or who will come down," said Hendra.

Hendra further said that he was ready to transmit the spirit and fighting spirit to the Thomas team, which this time was filled with a combination of seniors and juniors.

"Of course, his strength must be even more because he plays for the team, the results of each player will also affect the others, but the most important thing is how to focus on each of them," he said.

Hendra and the Indonesian badminton team have arrived in Horsens, Denmark, after a long journey from Jakarta since Thursday, April 16, 2026, WIB night.

Indonesia will start the journey in this year's Thomas Cup from Group D with France, Thailand, and Algeria. On paper, the Garuda Squad has the chance to qualify for the knockout phase.

In the previous three editions, Indonesia managed to reach the final round. Of the three opportunities, one resulted in a title and the other two came out as runners-up.

Overall, Indonesia sent 20 players, consisting of 10 male players for the Thomas Cup and 10 female players for the Uber Cup. Both events take place simultaneously in the same place.