Badminton body delays coach reshuffle plan
JAKARTA (JP): The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) has been working hard to improve shuttlers' performances in international events. One way was to replace the women's coaches with men's coaches in women's sectors.
Apparently the idea remains an idea as PBSI has decided to delay the plan due to unprepared human resources.
PBSI vice chairman, Agus Wirahadikusumah, said on Friday that PBSI chairman, Subagyo Hadisiswoyo, was reconsidering the plan to set up the right training method and put the right people in the right place.
"It's about being human. Men's coaches need conditioning time to adapt with the situation where they must coach women's shuttlers. Some are not ready to face such a situation. It's about their psychological barrier," he said.
PBSI plans to replace women's singles coach Liang Chiusia and her assistant Khoo Mei Hwa. While another women's coach, Retno Kustijah, and assistant, Lanny Tedjo, have resigned before the plan was applied.
Tangkas club coach Hendry Saputra has been nominated to take over Retno's job.
Chiusia herself declined to give any comment to rumors saying her superior, national training director Christian Hadinata, had yet to give any details.
"My boss has yet to say anything to me. How can I comment on something I don't know," she said.
Retno herself has declined that her resignation was because of the replacement.
"No, I just want to concentrate on my athletes in the club in Jaya Raya. I feel more needed there," she said.
But a source in PBSI said Imelda Wiguna would stay at her post as the women's doubles coach despite PBSI's plan to replace all women's coaches.
Christian will remain at his post as the training director but he will also work as the men's and women's doubles supervisor. Two other supervisors will be in charge of the men's and women's singles and the mixed doubles.
Agus said PBSI wanted to send 14 second string shuttlers to the 20th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Brunei Darussalam from Aug. 7 to Aug. 15 because it was part of the organization priority.
"The young shuttlers must have the chance to get more experience in international tournaments, especially in the multisports events," he said.
Agus said some top players were concentrated on several world- class tournaments including the five-star Grand Prix series.
PBSI will likely send Jeffer Rosobin, Ronny Agustinus, Johan Hadikusuma, Flandy Limpele, Eng Hian, Agung Wahyu and Halim Heryanto on the men's side and Ellen Angelina, Meiluawati, Yuli Marfuah, Cynthia Tuwankotta, Etty Tantri, Emma Ermawati and Vita Marissa on the women's side.
But Jeffer said he still had no idea if he would play on the team and in individual events.
"PBSI plans to observe our performances in the Malaysia and Thailand Opens but apparently Johan failed in the selection. I think Ronny and I deserve the chance to become the team's backbones in the individual event," he said.
PBSI aims to win five of the seven golds on offer. National shuttlers will likely take the golds from the men's and women's team events, the women's singles and doubles and mixed doubles events.
State Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Agung Laksono, who visited the center on Friday morning, expressed hope that national shuttlers would retain Indonesia's supremacy in the future.(yan)