Jakarta. The Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) issued a public apology on Wednesday after its Thomas Cup squad suffered its worst result in history, crashing out in the group stage for the first time ever.

The early elimination marked the poorest performance by Indonesia’s men’s team in the tournament, surpassing the previous low point in 2012, when the country was knocked out in the quarterfinals.

Indonesia’s disappointing campaign was sealed by a 1-4 defeat to France, which unexpectedly advanced from Group D to the knockout stage alongside Thailand.

“On behalf of PBSI, I sincerely apologize because we were unable to deliver the best result in this Thomas Cup. We must admit that France performed better than us,” said Eng Hian, PBSI’s Head of Development and Achievement.

He added that the association would conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the team’s performance following the disappointing outcome.

Indonesia is one of the most successful nations in Thomas Cup history, having won 14 titles in 31 appearances since first competing in 1958.

The latest result is likely to intensify scrutiny over the future direction of Indonesian men’s badminton, long considered one of the country’s premier sporting traditions.