Badminton body sends shuttlers out to clubs
Badminton body sends shuttlers out to clubs
JAKARTA (JP): The Badminton Association's athletic development
deputy, Mangombar Ferdinand Siregar, said yesterday the
association would start its program of sending national players
to clubs and provincial branches next week.
"Starting next week, we'll send four to eight men's doubles
players to be trained at the Djarum club in West Jakarta. Coach
Herry IP will accompany them," Siregar said.
"The reason we are sending them to the club is to enable
Christian Hadinata, the Badminton Training Center director, to
observe their training progress," he said.
The association will provide clubs and branches which admit
national shuttlers with shuttlecocks, and pay the national
coaches' salaries.
"But the branches and clubs will have to give the athletes
allowances."
Of the association's 27 provincial branches, only the East
Java branch has so far agreed to admit the national players. The
West Java and Central Java branches have yet to agree.
The purpose of sending all but a core team of national players
to train in clubs and branches is to motivate them to practice
harder in order to return to the center.
"They will be the national shuttlers' substitutes. If a
national shuttler can't compete in an international event there
will be substitutes ready," Siregar said.
The association's secretary-general, Leo Ch. Wiranata, said
Monday the association would start training the core team, using
its own funds.
"Don't expect the (branches' or clubs') costs to be totally
borne by the association because our funds are limited. Our top
priority is to help branches which lack funds," he said.
He said some branches had problems finding sponsors for the
training.
"We understand some branches are having problems starting
training, so there is no other choice but to help them."
However, Leo seemed pessimistic about the training program: "I
doubt the training programs will go as planned because there are
fewer and fewer players." (lnt/yan)