Badminton legend Rudy plans to train street children

JAKARTA (JP): For decades, Indonesia has been hailed as fertile ground for budding badminton talent. Many of the country's stars over the past four decades first learned their skills on the streets.

This may be the reason why the sport's living legend, Rudy Hartono, plans to share some of his brilliance with street walkers this weekend at the Kelapa Gading Youth Center in North Jakarta.

Rudy, who holds a record eight All England men's singles titles, will give a training clinic to the children from the nearby Setia Kawan (RSSK) II dormitory run by the Ministry of Social Services.

Saturday's training is a trial program jointly organized by the ministry and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in conjunction with Children's Day which falls on July 23.

Rudy is a UNDP Goodwill Ambassador.

Of 125 children below 12 years of age at the dormitory, only 20 will be selected to attend the one-day clinic, Antara reported yesterday.

The event in Kelapa Gading is the first of a series of three planned under the program. Street walkers living in the RSSK I dormitory in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, and one in South Jakarta will have their turn in September.

The program is supported by a number of companies and organizations, including PT Tempo Scan Pacific, Rotary Club Gambir and Cinere Kemang, Nacel Open Door Exchange Program, Pro- Kennex and IPM Public Relations. (lnt)