Badminton body cancels plan to send athletes to clubs

Badminton body cancels plan to send athletes to clubs

JAKARTA (JP): The Badminton Association of Indonesia has
canceled its plan to train national shuttlers at various clubs
and provincial branches.

The association's athletic development deputy, Mangombar
Ferdinand Siregar, announced yesterday that the association would
train its shuttlers at the National Training Center in Cipayung,
East Jakarta.

"The association's chairman (Subagyo Hadi Siswoyo) has decided
to optimize the center and maintain all 65 shuttlers instead of
reducing their number to 50," he said.

The association's initial plan to send all but a core team of
national players to train in clubs and branches was meant to
motivate them to practice harder in order to return to the
center.

Soon after the association announced it was sending athletes
to clubs and branches last month, six shuttlers resigned from the
center.

They were seniors Alan Budikusuma, a 1992 Olympic gold
medalist, Hermawan Susanto and Ardy B. Wiranata, who will coach
in the United States. And juniors Dwi Aryanto who will play in
Germany, Agus Heriyanto who will play in Hong Kong and Salim who
will play in Brunei Darussalam.

"Naturally, the promotion and relegation system, which will be
stage periodically, goes on due to many valuable offers from
other countries," Siregar said.

Siregar said the center could still cooperate with clubs and
branches, such as for training athletes while the center was
possibly used to prepare the men's and women's nucleus teams for
the Thomas and Uber Cups championships scheduled in Hong Kong in
May.

"The association is ambitious to retain the Thomas and Uber
Cups teams titles, Asian Games, Sudirman Cup, World
Championships, Indonesia Open and 2000 Olympics. That's why my
department is working hard to boost the athletes' form for the
purpose," he said.

The association will also make profiles on athletes, listing
their skills and stating their physical condition.

"Their records, which will be made based on IBF (International
Badminton Federation) guidelines, are to improve their skills,"
Siregar said.

Siregar said he had not pressured the athletes about winning.

"I told them that I don't need titles, but I asked them to
bring in as many dollars as they could by being winners in each
tournament," he said.

"Sometimes players are under pressure if we tell them they
must win. Money can motivate them," he added with a smile.

After the Swedish Open and the All England badminton
championships, the association will prepare 10 male and 10 female
athletes for the Thomas and Uber Cups championships.

Indonesia, through men's doubles Candra Wijaya/Tony Gunawan,
won a title in the Swedish Open, which ended Sunday. The country
is also sending 22 athletes to All England, which starts
tomorrow.

"The chairman has urged the shuttlers to concentrate on the
Thomas and Uber Cups despite rumors that the IBF might cancel
them due to sponsorship problems," Siregar said.

Indonesia won both cups in 1994 and 1996. (yan)