Junior shuttlers set for SEA Games debut<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Badminton Association of Indonesia plans to
\nfield juniors in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Brunei
\nDarussalam in August.<\/p>\n
The association's deputy chief of athletes development, Hadi
\nNasri, told reporters on Tuesday that the organization would
\nbring up the plan in discussion with the National Sports Council
\nsoon.<\/p>\n
\"It remains an idea but we hope the council will understand.
\nOur young players lack experience of a team event, while their
\nworld-class compatriots have demonstrated their great
\nachievements in the Thomas and Uber Cup championships, the Asian
\nGames and the Olympics,\" Hadi said.<\/p>\n
\"We must give our juniors an opportunity to handle a bigger
\nresponsibility and we think the SEA Games is the right moment,\"
\nhe added.<\/p>\n
Hadi said there was no need to field the likes of 1996
\nOlympics gold medalists Ricky Ahmad Subagja and Rexy Ronald
\nMainaky in an event like the SEA Games.<\/p>\n
\"The SEA Games is the right arena for our young players to
\ndemonstrate their prowess,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said Indonesia's top guns would likely miss the Games for
\nbigger events such as the World Championships and the Sudirman
\nCup mixed team championship, both scheduled for May.<\/p>\n
Members of the country's badminton elite forces usually play
\nin eight tournaments a season.<\/p>\n
In the 1997 SEA Games here the Indonesian badminton team was
\nat full strength as it made a clean sweep. Former world number
\nones in women's and men's singles, Susi Susanti and Hariyanto
\nArbi respectively, Ricky and Rexy, the 1997 world men's doubles
\nchampions Candra Wijaya and Sigit Budiarto and former world top
\nmixed doubles team of Tri Kusherjanto and Minarti Timur were in
\nthe squad that won all seven gold medals at stake in the sport.<\/p>\n
Hadi said that second stringers like Rony Agustinus, Johan
\nHadi Kusuma, Irwansyah, Yudi Suprayogi in the men's singles and
\nEllen Angelina in the women's singles were expected to fill their
\nseniors' shoes in the August SEA Games.<\/p>\n
The junior players will turn up for the Korean Open and Taipei
\nMasters this week and next week respectively.<\/p>\n
\"We plan to send our juniors to as many international events
\nas possible this year,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He predicted Indonesia's toughest opposition in this year's
\nSEA Games would come from Malaysia in the men's singles and
\ndoubles and Thailand in the women's singles and men's doubles.
\n(yan)<\/p>",
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