All aboard: Badminton must reach out and go global<\/p>\n
On the eve of this week's All-England, badminton's most
\nprestigious tournament, Denmark's top men's singles player Peter
\nGade complained that domination by Asian players was detracting
\nfrom the sport's enjoyment for spectators. Four-time All-England
\nwomen's singles champion Susy Susanti contends that badminton
\nneeds to step out of its traditional centers to reach new
\naudiences.<\/p>\n
There is some truth to what Peter said, in that a match is
\nalways more interesting when the players are from different
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
Yet it does not have to be the East vs. West contest that
\nPeter described. Showdowns between players from within Asia are
\nalso interesting, like my rivalries with Bang Soo Hyun of South
\nKorea and China's Ye Zhaoying, or Icuk Sugiarto and Han Jian in
\nthe 1980s.<\/p>\n
China is dominant right now, but there is always change at the
\ntop of the game. In the mid-1970s, perhaps there were those who
\nthought Indonesia was winning too much with Rudy Hartono and Liem
\nSwie King in the men's singles, but today everybody is struggling
\nto compete with the Chinese.<\/p>\n
Denmark has consistently produced top players, especially in
\nmen's singles and doubles. But even its women's singles players
\nhave ranked among the best, and it has been more successful in
\nregeneration than us in producing players in the top 20.<\/p>\n
There is no doubt that Danes and other Europeans can compete
\nat the top level -- they have the skills and physique. But there
\nis one important aspect -- mental toughness -- that I think the
\nEuropean players need to work on.<\/p>\n
In some sports, it used to be the case that we had lost before
\nwe stepped onto the court, because Indonesians perceived athletes
\nfrom Europe and the United States to be taller, stronger and
\nbetter than us.<\/p>\n
In badminton, it's the other way around. I enjoyed playing
\nagainst European players from Sweden and the Netherlands because
\nI knew that many of them were easily frustrated and would give
\nup. When losing or in a pressure situation, they would commit
\nunforced errors, so I didn't get tired playing them.<\/p>\n
An example was Camilla Martin of Denmark. She was a very good
\nplayer, with excellent footwork, strokes and style. She was tall,
\nbut she was also agile around the court. Even the Chinese players
\nwere afraid when they had to play her.<\/p>\n
But I always looked forward to playing her. One reason was
\nbecause her style of play suited mine. The second was that her
\nmental strength was suspect. If she made a mistake, she would get
\nso angry with herself and her consistency would fall apart.<\/p>\n
I liked her off court, but there were mind games going on when
\nwe faced each other across the net. I would sometimes smile at
\nher on court, make fun of her a bit, because I knew she would get
\nangry.<\/p>\n
She was world and All-England champion, but she could have won
\nmore if she was mentally tougher.<\/p>\n
I think the real issue to make tournaments more attractive and
\nexciting is to ensure badminton is not restricted in popularity
\nto Asia or a few countries in Europe, like England, Denmark and
\nSweden, as it is today.<\/p>\n
The International Badminton Federation (IBF) needs to work on
\nbringing the sport to uncharted territory, like Africa, the U.S.
\nand other parts of Europe. Perhaps it has to use the example of
\ntennis in being able to reach all countries and make it popular
\nin them, and then there will be a bigger pool of players of
\ndifferent nationalities.<\/p>\n
Badminton needs to be packaged in such a way that it is
\nattractive to people and they are motivated to play. If more
\npeople are interested in playing, then of course there will be
\nhigher quality of play.<\/p>\n
It also has to change with the times and people's tastes, but
\nthat does not mean we should do away with the basic traditions.
\nWhen the All-England moved from Wembley to the National Indoor
\nArena in Birmingham in 1994, the new stadium had a much more
\nmodern, a bit impersonal feel about it, but the sense of
\ntradition of the tournament remained.<\/p>\n
Another factor in improving the popularity of the sport is
\nincreased sponsorship. With more sponsors on board, there will be
\nmore attention to the sport, and badminton will grow. Again,
\ntennis can be used as an example.<\/p>\n
Building the sport by increasing the participation of other
\ncountries can only work to its benefit. I don't agree that it may
\nhurt Indonesia, in that there will be more competition and our
\nplayers may lose out. The country one is born in does not define
\nwhether or not one will become a champion.<\/p>\n
I am very proud and happy that this year's World Championship
\nis being held in Anaheim, California, instead of Denmark or
\nSingapore, the other countries that bid. They would have been
\ngood choices, too, but the sport is already popular there.<\/p>\n
The IBF made a great choice with Anaheim. Now, the American
\npublic will be able to see that badminton is not a backyard
\npastime, but a sport that combines power and art.<\/p>\n
And we all know that if a sport is popular in the U.S., its
\npopularity can spread across the world.<\/p>\n
Susy Susanti spoke to The Jakarta Post's Bruce Emond.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/all-aboard-badminton-must-reach-out-and-go-global-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }