Badminton body delays coach reshuffle plan

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)