Christian, kingmaker in badminton<\/p>\n
Novan Iman Santosa and Primastuti Handayani, The Jakarta Post,
\nGuangzhou\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Four years ago in Hong Kong, a European coach approached
\nIndonesia's chief coach Christian Hadinata and said: \"Your
\ncountry is in such a mess, yet you can still defend the Thomas
\nCup.\"<\/p>\n
Indonesian top shuttlers, who, like Christian, are mostly of
\nChinese descent, were struggling to retain the Thomas Cup for the
\n11th time when anti-Chinese riots erupted in Jakarta. The
\nviolence broke out following the killing of four Trisakti
\nUniversity student demonstrators by security forces on their
\ncampus.<\/p>\n
Christian recalled, \"I could not forget the other countries'
\ncomments on our victory. Badminton has proven that it can unite
\nall players from different ethnic backgrounds to reach glory even
\nthough our country's image was severely tarnished because of the
\nriots.\"<\/p>\n
During their do-or-die match, the 1998 Thomas and Uber Cup
\nteams had to retain full concentration on the court even though
\ntheir families back home were in grave danger.<\/p>\n
\"We were shocked to learn about what was happening back home.
\nIt was on the TV and in the newspapers every day. I was lucky
\nthat our shuttlers could still concentrate fully on the matches,\"
\nChristian, who played an important role in assuring the players,
\nsaid on the sidelines of the Thomas and Uber Cup finals in
\nGuangzhou, China, last week.<\/p>\n
\"The team manager, (the late) Agus Wirahadikusumah (then an
\nArmy Brigadier General), made a special command post at our hotel
\nto enable all shuttlers and officials to contact their families.
\nPak Agus made security arrangements with troops back in Jakarta.
\nHe told our families to contact the nearest military post if
\nthere was any trouble.\"<\/p>\n
Christian, who currently serves as the training director at
\nthe Indonesian Badminton Center in Cipayung, East Jakarta, must
\ncarry the burden of supporting the teams emotionally as part of
\nhis duty.<\/p>\n
He is a living badminton legend, an eight-time winner of the
\nAll England who received his first All England title in 1972. The
\nChristian and Ade Chandra pair crushed Britons Eddy Sutton and
\nDavid Eddy in the final.<\/p>\n
\"It was our first time participating (in the All England) and
\nwe won, even though we were the underdogs. I'll never forget that
\nmoment because people had underestimated us,\" recalled Christian.<\/p>\n
Christian happens to be the brother-in-law of veteran
\nbadminton ace Rudy Hartono, a seven-time All England champion in
\nthe men's singles.<\/p>\n
Since then Christian has managed to collect various titles and
\njoined the Thomas Cup team six times, remaining unbeatable even
\nwhen the team lost in 1982 and 1986.<\/p>\n
Christian began his coaching career in 1989 at the Jakarta
\nDjarum club for men's doubles.<\/p>\n
Later he was involved in the 1992 national team for the
\nBarcelona Olympics. He helped Edi Hartono and Gunawan grab the
\nsilver medal. Four years later, he also helped Rexy Mainaky and
\nRicky Subagja win the gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.<\/p>\n
\"As their coach, their victory was the best reward I've ever
\nearned. Ricky and Rexy only reached the quarterfinals in 1992 so
\nI was prepared to win in the next Olympics. The pair was
\nphenomenal as they seldom lost,\" said Christian who broke down in
\ntears after the victory.<\/p>\n
Even with his new position as training director, Christian
\nstill played an important role in helping Candra Wijaya and Tony
\nGunawan win the Sydney 2000 Olympics gold.<\/p>\n
His success in creating the world's top doubles was triggered
\nby the fact that the men's doubles were often made a scapegoat
\nevery time the team lost a major event in the 1980s.<\/p>\n
\"It really hurts to know that we were scapegoats. That gave me
\nthe determination to create the world's strongest doubles. And I
\ndid it,\" said the big fan of the Manchester United soccer club.<\/p>\n
With his caliber of producing world champions, Christian is
\nvery loyal to the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI). He
\ndid not object when the association was forced to cut his salary
\ndue to the monetary crisis and to help PBSI save money.<\/p>\n
\"I have become what I am because of PBSI. Now it's payback
\ntime. Even though I've gotten many offers from other countries to
\ntrain abroad, I always turn them down.\"<\/p>\n
\"There are social rewards, which I don't think I could achieve
\nabroad. Everybody knows me in Indonesia, but as soon as I am out
\nof the country, I am a perfect stranger. I also get opportunities
\nto meet many leaders in the country, including our presidents and
\nministers.\"<\/p>\n
His position as an official at PBSI does not prevent him from
\ndirectly coaching the shuttlers, particularly the men's doubles.
\nThere is a special court at the center named \"Koh (big brother)
\nChris's court\".<\/p>\n
\"Only champions can challenge me during training on my court,\"
\nsaid the man, who is proudly called the master of drive.<\/p>\n
His comment even encourages the younger players to try playing
\nagainst their seniors to enable them to train on the special
\ncourt.<\/p>\n
However, he still has many ambitions with the national team.<\/p>\n
\"We must defend and improve our achievements in prestigious
\nevents, such as the World Championships, Thomas Cup and All
\nEngland. We must also win golds in the 2004 Athens Olympics from
\nany category,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Next year, we must work harder to bring home the Sudirman Cup
\nafter only reaching the final last year. As for the Uber Cup,
\nit's a challenge to win, but we have to reach the final round.\"<\/p>\n
Christian, the youngest of six siblings, was introduced to
\nbadminton by his elder brothers. He used to practice on a dirt
\ncourt next to an elementary school, but he later trained on his
\nbest friend's hotel court.<\/p>\n
Being involved in the same sport for over 30 years has not
\nmade him interested to try other things.<\/p>\n
\"I will be involved in badminton for a long time. Even if I'm
\nno longer at PBSI, I'll return to my club or maybe establish my
\nown badminton camp. It will take a lot of money to set up a
\nproperly equipped school, unless I can find a strong sponsor to
\nfinance the camp,\" he said.<\/p>\n
CHRISTIAN HADINATA<\/p>\n
Born: Purwokerto, Dec. 11, 1949;
\nWife: Yoke Anwar (married in 1978);
\nChildren: Mario Hadinata, Mariska Hadinata;
\nParents: Timotius Hadinata (father), Aer Nio (mother);
\nClub: Djarum<\/p>",
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