President asks shuttlers to defend Thomas Cup<\/p>\n
Annastashya Emmanuelle and Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post,
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri urged on Saturday all Indonesian
\nbadminton players set to leave for the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup
\nfinals to do their best and give cause for some pride at home.<\/p>\n
\"I still remember when my father, president Sukarno, asked all
\nIndonesians to pray for our players who were competing in the
\nThomas Cup,\" she said in an impromptu speech.<\/p>\n
\"My idols were Ferry Sonneville and Tan Joe Hok at that time.<\/p>\n
\"And now I think that we must pray again so that you will be
\nable to keep the Thomas Cup here,\" she added.<\/p>\n
The President was speaking during a ceremony to see off the
\nshuttlers held at the Indonesian Badminton Center in Cipayung,
\nEast Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"By defending the cup, you will be able to improve our crisis-
\nstricken image. I say that Indonesia's sports community must work
\ntogether to bring some glory to the country,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Also present at the ceremony were the President's husband
\nTaufik Kiemas, national education minister Abdul Malik Fajar,
\nchairman of the National Sports Council (KONI) Wismoyo
\nArismunandar and chairman of the Badminton Association of
\nIndonesia (PBSI) Chairul Tanjung.<\/p>\n
The Indonesia team will leave on Monday for Guangzhou, China,
\nwhere the finals of both Thomas Cup and Uber Cup are to be held
\nfrom Thursday until May 19.<\/p>\n
So far, Indonesia has won the coveted cup 12 times out of 21
\ncontests and has taken it and defended it on four consecutive
\noccasions since 1994.<\/p>\n
Indonesia will write a new page in badminton history if it can
\ndefend it now by becoming the first country to do so on five
\nconsecutive occasions.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, host China will definitely want to collect all the
\nthree coveted cups in the world of badminton with the Thomas Cup
\nthe only one not in its trophy case.<\/p>\n
China is the defending champion in the women's Uber Cup, which
\nit won in Kuala Lumpur in 1998, and the mixed team Sudirman Cup
\nit won in Seville, Spain, in 2001.<\/p>\n
During the ceremony, the PBSI also signed a collaboration
\nagreement with the national education ministry to reintroduce
\nbadminton in schools.<\/p>\n
The agreement was signed by Chairul and Malik.<\/p>\n
When asked about the details, Malik said it would take the
\nform of intensifying badminton programs at schools, both as part
\nof extracurricular activities as well as during physical
\neducation classes.<\/p>\n
His ministry would assist in providing badminton equipment,
\nbut Malik stressed that the provincial administrations would be
\nthe ones with the most responsibility.<\/p>\n
\"In line with regional autonomy, we hope the local
\nadministrations will be able to provide these facilities,\" he
\ntold reporters.<\/p>\n
\"It (badminton) has been a part of the physical education
\ncurriculum ... badminton could also be included as part of
\nextracurricular activities,\" he explained.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Chairul said the agreement would be followed by a
\nongoing collaboration between both institutions at the lower
\nlevels to make it more successful.<\/p>\n
\"We will produce a series of manuals on how we can implement
\nthe agreement at the lower levels. We have still a long way to go
\nbut the most important thing is that the government is giving its
\nattention to badminton,\" he told reporters.<\/p>\n
\"But for the first step, we will hold an inter-elementary
\nschools tournament from the local levels right up to the national
\nlevel.\"<\/p>\n
\"This will enable us to scout for talent among 12 to 17 year
\nolds.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/president-asks-shuttlers-to-defend-thomas-cup-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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