Top shuttlers to miss World Cup c'ships<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian shuttlers have already cleared some
\nof their toughest hurdles in the World Cup badminton
\nchampionships, to be held here from Sept. 13 to 17, because
\nseveral world best-players will miss the invitational meet.<\/p>\n
Rudy Hartono, the international affairs official of the
\nBadminton Association of Indonesia confirmed yesterday that world
\nnumber two, Park Sung-woo of South Korea, and Denmark's top
\nplayer, Thomas Stuer Lauridsen, have opted out of the US$180,000
\ntournament due to injury.<\/p>\n
\"We have invited all top ranking players, and unfortunately
\nPark and Lauridsen were forced to pull out,\" Rudy, a former All-
\nEngland eight-time winner, said.<\/p>\n
Park tore his Achilles tendon during a quarterfinal match
\nagainst Olympic champion Alan Budikusuma in the Indonesia Open
\ntwo weeks ago. Lauridsen suffered even worse pain, in May, during
\nthe World Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland, which forces
\nhim out of competition for at least six months.<\/p>\n
Rudy said that the organizers will need a recommendation from
\nthe International Badminton Federation over possible substitutes
\nfor the injured shuttlers.<\/p>\n
Host Indonesia will parade 16 players in the 54-field event.<\/p>\n
World champion and World Cup title holder Hariyanto Arbi,
\nIndonesia Open winner Ardy Wiranata and Alan line up the men's
\nsingles team. Indonesian women's singles squad comprises Susi
\nSusanti, Mia Audina and Yuliani Sentosa.<\/p>\n
The annual championships, the 15th since 1981, will pit the
\nworld's top 16 singles players both in men's and ladies' events;
\nbest eight men's pairs and eight women's tandems; and eight top
\nranked mixed doubles teams. They will play round-robin matches.<\/p>\n
Each country is eligible to field only two singles players,
\ntwo doubles teams and a mixed doubles pair. \"But Indonesia was
\ngranted the privilege to come with three men's singles and three
\nladies' singles due to their outstanding prowess,\" Rudy said.<\/p>\n
Indonesian shuttlers have been dominating the world badminton
\nsingles rankings for the past three years.<\/p>\n
Singles players will be split into four groups, with each
\ngroup winner advancing to the semifinals. Doubles players will be
\ndivided into two groups, with the top two teams going to the
\nsemifinals.<\/p>\n
The tournament, organized by the International Management
\nGroup, has been brought here four times. The group, which also
\nholds the right to organize another five top-rated badminton
\ntournaments in the world annually, signed yesterday a two-year
\nbroadcasting agreement with Indosiar, the country's youngest
\nprivate television station. (amd)<\/p>",
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