Tan Joe Hok


Tan Joe Hok was an Indonesian badminton player, who along with Ferry Sonneville and a cadre of fine doubles players set the foundation for an Indonesian badminton dynasty by dethroning then-perennial Thomas Cup champion Malaya in 1958.
Tan Joe Hok lived in Bandung until he finished high school. He received his degree in Chemistry and Biology from Baylor University, Texas, United States.
He was the first Indonesian to win the All England Open in 1959 and the first Indonesian to win a gold medal in Asian Games, which happened at home in 1962. He won both the U.S. Open and Canadian Open singles titles consecutively in 1959 and 1960. He had many other notable achievements in the badminton field, both as a player and a coach, most particularly, winning all but one of his singles matches for Indonesia's world champion Thomas Cup teams of 1958, 1961, and 1964.

Background

Tan was born on 11 August 1937 in Bandung. From 1959 to 1963, he studied Premed in Chemistry & Biology at Baylor University in the U.S. state of Texas.
He married former badminton player Goei Kiok Nio in 1965 and they have two children. Tan Joe Hok had a difficulty establishing full citizenship in Indonesia because he could not obtain an SBKRI, a mandatory document for non-indigenous and especially Chinese-Indonesian during the U.S.-backed dictatorship of Suharto. He said, "It wouldn't be hard for us to move overseas but we don't want to do that because we are Indonesians. Even if it was raining gold overseas, we will remain here, in the land where Indonesian blood has been spilled."
Tan died after suffering stroke in Jakarta, on 2 June 2025, at the age of 87.

Career and achievements

  • Won the National Championships at Surabaya
  • Member of Squad Indonesian Team that won the Thomas Cup at Singapore
  • First Indonesian badminton men's player to win All England
  • First Indonesian badminton men's player to win Asian Games gold medal
  • Member of Squad Team Thomas Cup Indonesia
  • Badminton coach at Mexico
  • Badminton coach at Hong Kong
  • Coach of Indonesia Thomas Cup Team at Kuala Lumpur
  • Badminton coach at PB Djarum Kudus
  • Mandala Pest Control Director
  • Best Sport Coach by SIWO/PWI Jaya version

    Asian Games

Men's singles
YearVenueOpponentScoreResult
1962Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia

International tournaments (10 titles, 7 runners-up)

Men's singles
YearTournamentOpponentScoreResult
1957India Championshipsgold1