Megawati to open
\nIBF convention<\/p>\n
Novan Iman Santosa
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri is scheduled to open the 65th
\nAnnual General Meeting (AGM) of the International Badminton
\nFederation (IBF) at the State Palace on Sunday, a top Indonesian
\nbadminton official said on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\"This is the first time that a head of state will open an IBF
\nAGM. Several ministers will also attend the opening ceremony,\"
\nSulistyanto, the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) chief
\nin charge of international relations, said on the sidelines of
\nthe Thomas and Uber Cups now underway at the Bung Karno Indoor
\nStadium in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
An opening session of the AGM will be attended by Megawati and
\n10 delegates, including PBSI chairman Chairul Tanjung and IBF
\npresident Korn Dabbaransi. They will be discussing various issues
\nsurrounding badminton.<\/p>\n
The AGM participants will then move to the Jakarta Convention
\nCenter, next to the badminton stadium, to discuss various issues
\nrelated to the development of badminton<\/p>\n
\"One of the issues the meeting will discuss is a
\nrecommendation to move the IBF secretariat,\" said Sulistyanto.
\nThe IBF headquarters is currently located in Cheltenham, England.<\/p>\n
He said several new homes were being considered for the
\nsecretariat, including Barbados, Kuala Lumpur, Lausanne and
\nSingapore.<\/p>\n
Asian countries have proposed that the IBF's headquarters be
\nrelocated to Asia in the hopes that this would reduce operational
\ncosts.<\/p>\n
If the move took place, it is expected that part of the money
\nsaved could be used for development activities.<\/p>\n
\"We can save some US$800,000 to $850,000 if we relocate to
\nAsia due to lower costs. This (remaining) money could be set
\naside in a development fund,\" said Sulistyanto.<\/p>\n
He said the development fund could reach $1 million, with
\nsubsidies from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).<\/p>\n
European countries, especially Denmark, are pushing to
\nrelocate the secretariat to Lausanne, Switzerland, which is close
\nto the IOC headquarters.<\/p>\n
Sulistyanto said the campaign to move the secretariat to
\nLausanne stemmed from concerns that badminton could be dropped
\nfrom the Olympics, and that having the IBF's headquarters in
\nLausanne would facilitate the lobbying of IOC officials.<\/p>\n
\"However, it would be even more expensive to have the
\nheadquarters there,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Sulistyanto also revealed plans to set up an Asian training
\ncenter in Guangzhou, China, in an effort to help badminton
\ndevelop in Asian countries where the sport has yet to develop a
\nfoothold.<\/p>\n
Another important issue that the meeting will discuss is how
\nto revitalize interest in badminton, with the assumption that
\nthere has been a loss of interest in the sport in badminton
\nstrongholds such as Indonesia and Malaysia, he said.<\/p>\n
\"We are looking to combine badminton and tourism at the 2005
\nWorld Championships in Anaheim, California,\" said Sulistyanto.<\/p>\n
He said it would be invaluable for the development of the
\nsport if it could catch on in the huge American market.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/megawati-to-open-1447899208",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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