Icuk plans shake-up of training center<\/p>\n
Eva C. Komandjaja
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
National shuttlers, especially those who are not married,
\nshould no longer expect to live outside the national training
\ncenter now that Icuk Sugiarto is the center's new director.<\/p>\n
Icuk was named on Friday to the new 26-member board of the
\ncountry's badminton governing body, the PBSI, under new chairman
\nSutiyoso.<\/p>\n
Icuk is the PBSI's chief in charge of development affairs. His
\ntasks includes supervising the national training center in
\nCipayung, East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The PBSI hopes to recapture the Thomas Cup and return
\nIndonesia to its position as the world's preeminent badminton
\npower, and Icuk is convinced that this can only be accomplished
\nthrough uncompromising discipline.<\/p>\n
Icuk has put the national shuttlers on warning, saying there
\nwill be consequences for anyone who breaks the center's 9 p.m.
\ncurfew. He also said unmarried shuttlers would be required to
\nlive at the center.<\/p>\n
\"We will have strict regulations for the shuttlers. They must
\nlearn discipline on and off court.<\/p>\n
\"If they violate the regulations they will be kicked out of
\ncamp, even if they are famous and the best shuttlers in the
\ncountry,\" the 1983 world champion said.<\/p>\n
But Icuk said his new get-tough policy would not come into
\neffect until after the Athens Olympics, which will run from Aug.
\n13 to Aug. 29.<\/p>\n
Several shuttlers are currently living in private residences
\noutside of the center, and those who do live in the center
\nfrequently break curfew.<\/p>\n
\"I am sure these new regulations will spark protests from the
\nshuttlers because they have enjoyed their freedom for much too
\nlong. These regulations will help them play better in the
\nfuture,\" Icuk said.<\/p>\n
One shuttler who may not appreciate these new rules is star
\nTaufik Hidayat. Something of a celebrity in the country, the
\nAsian champion Taufik opts to drive to the training camp from his
\nnearby home.<\/p>\n
Icuk also signaled that he would tighten the selection process
\nfor Cipayung, saying fewer athletes would be invited in order to
\nmake the center more prestigious.<\/p>\n
There are currently about 130 players at Cipayung but Icuk
\nrefused to say the number of athletes he thought would be ideal
\nfor the center.<\/p>\n
\"We want to create an image that it is difficult to qualify
\nfor the national camp. That way, when a player is accepted to the
\ncamp he or she will work hard,\" he said.<\/p>\n
While these plans will not come into effect until after the
\nOlympics, Icuk has already carried out a major shake-up of the
\ntraining organization by bringing in new faces on the coaching
\nstaff, although the likes of Indra Gunawan, Hendrawan, Atik
\nDjauhari, Richard Mainaky and Christian Hadinata are not new to
\nthe Indonesian players given their past connections with the
\ncamp. Christian, for example, is a former training director.<\/p>\n
Gone from the coaching staff are Mulyo Handoyo, who was
\nTaufik's coach, Ivana Lie, Herry IP and Paulus Firman.<\/p>\n
\"We feel that they (new coaches) will be able to help the
\nIndonesian shuttlers perform better in international events,\"
\nIcuk said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/icuk-plans-shake-up-of-training-center-1447893297",
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