Badminton competition falls short

Badminton competition falls short

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The inaugural school badminton competition is set to begin in
Bandung, West Java, in December, but the next stage of the
competition, which would ensure a more consistent national
development program, has yet to be worked out.

The competition will be staged at the elementary school (SD)
and junior high school (SMP) levels as part of a campaign to
introduce youths to badminton as early as possible, according to
organizers.

"This is part of the government's program to further
popularize badminton throughout the country," organizing
committee member Minarni Sudaryanto said here on Monday.

However, the prospect for consistent development is not
guaranteed because of the absence of a next stage for the
competition.

Given the structure of the national education system, taking
the competition to the next level would mean bringing it to high
schools (SMUs).

"(A competition at the high school level) is not in our plans
as yet. Maybe that will be next. We are looking elsewhere at the
moment. Winners can join a junior championship or be given
scholarships to continue training at the Ragunan School," Minarni
said.

The 2003 junior championship is scheduled to take place in
Yogyakarta in July. Ragunan is a reference to the Jakarta sports
academy.

Minarni said the school competition would start in Bandung,
with eight schools selected from about 32 taking part in the
competition.

"The competition is a follow-up to an agreement made between
the Ministry of National Education and the Badminton Association
of Indonesia (PBSI), which in May agreed on the need to find and
train young shuttle players at an early age," Minarni said.

The competition in Bandung is scheduled for Dec. 11 to Dec.
13.

West Java is one of eight provinces involved in this school
badminton competition pilot project. The other seven provinces,
which will host competitions in January or February, are East
Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, Banten, Jakarta, North Sumatra
and South Sulawesi.

The competitions will be held every Saturday and Sunday, with
two singles and a doubles match, in both the boys and girls'
categories.

With about 6,000 students expected to get involved, the
competition should help the PBSI locate numerous possible
candidates for the national badminton training center.