Icuk asks PBSI to improve sponsorship agreement<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Former world badminton champion Icuk Sugiarto
\ncalled on the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) to
\nimprove its performance in raising funds for athletes.<\/p>\n
\"When shuttlers start to talk about their money, suddenly PBSI
\ndoesn't seem to have any money at all. It is a sign of their poor
\nperformance,\" he said at his residence.<\/p>\n
\"In its contract with Japanese sports equipment producer
\nYonex, PBSI has limited other companies in becoming cosponsors by
\ndemanding a very high price for the collective sponsorships.\"<\/p>\n
Icuk was responding to demands by Olympic gold medalists
\nCandra Wijaya and Tony Gunawan that PBSI allow shuttlers to sign
\nindividual sponsorships.<\/p>\n
But PBSI secretary-general Leo Chandra Wiranata has rejected
\nthis possibility, saying the current collective sponsorship
\nremained the best option for the shuttlers.<\/p>\n
The memorandum of understanding between PBSI and Yonex says
\nother companies are allowed to become cosponsors only if they are
\nwilling to offer a minimum three-year contract valued at
\nUS$300,000. Yonex pays $1 million per year to PBSI.<\/p>\n
Icuk said elite players in the country would have no
\ndifficulties signing individual sponsorship deals. However, PBSI
\nand the players should also consider their teammates at the
\nIndonesian Badminton Center, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Only about 25 percent of our elite players would get
\nindividual sponsorships. The reason PBSI opted for the collective
\n(sponsorship) system is because they also want to share the money
\nwith the other 75 percent,\" said Icuk, who is in charge of talent
\nscouting at PBSI.<\/p>\n
Citing an example, Icuk said he personally had a sponsorship
\noffer of $300,000 per year with Yonex in 1987. But PBSI canceled
\nhis contract, saying its policy forbade players from seeking
\nindividual sponsorships.<\/p>\n
\"With so many stars now, including Candra and Tony, and Taufik
\nHidayat and Hendrawan in the singles, I believe they could get a
\nsimilar amount or perhaps more than I was offered 13 years ago,\"
\nIcuk said.<\/p>\n
Taufik has been offered a contract to endorse Japan's
\nelectronic equipment producer JVC. But he is not allowed to put
\nthe JVC logo on his shirt because the contract is not worth
\n$300,000.<\/p>\n
Icuk also criticized the PBSI policy, saying collective
\nsponsorships also closed the door on clubs trying to raise funds.<\/p>\n
\"I experience it myself with ex-club Pelita Bakrie, which was
\ndisbanded several years ago. I signed a contract with Pro-Ace but
\nwhen my players were called up to the Indonesian Badminton
\nCenter, they had to use Yonex instead of their own sponsors. This
\nsystem leads to people not wishing to sign contracts with PBSI.\"<\/p>\n
Icuk urged PBSI to give a bigger role to clubs by allowing
\nthem to become the athletes' business manager in seeking
\nsponsors.<\/p>\n
\"Clubs have the athletes, not PBSI. It is clubs who must find
\nsponsors. When they already get the sponsors, PBSI only follows
\nup by preparing the paperwork and receiving the money. But the
\nmajority of the money should go to the players and clubs.\"<\/p>\n
Currently, players receive 50 percent of the money from
\nsponsorship contracts, with the remaining half going to PBSI.
\nPBSI then gives 5 percent to its provincial chapters and 5
\npercent to clubs.<\/p>\n
\"Ideally, clubs would receive an equal amount as the players,
\nand PBSI would only get a commission from the deal,\" Icuk said.<\/p>\n
He said a number of large clubs had folded because they never
\nreceived anything in return for supplying players to the training
\ncenter.<\/p>\n
\"We spend at least Rp 300 million ($31,600) per year to
\ndevelop athletes. When they are sent to the center, we get a big
\nnothing. PBSI should compensate the clubs.\"<\/p>\n
Icuk said he would bring the problem to next year's congress
\nof the PBSI Jakarta chapter, before taking the issue to PBSI's
\nnational plenary congress in December 2001. (yan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/icuk-asks-pbsi-to-improve-sponsorship-agreement-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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