Bung Karno indoor gears up for Cups

Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

After five months of refurbishment, said to have cost Rp 7 billion (US$823,529), the Bung Karno Indoor Stadium is expected to be ready by the end of this month for the Thomas and Uber Cups, according to an official from the stadium management.

Yasidi Hambali, director of Bung Karno Sports Complex management, said that renovation, including upgrading and building some facilities, had already been completed, leaving only minor work outstanding.

"Currently, we are working on the exterior, including repainting the wall so that it looks brand-new. The interior facelift is already finished," Yasidi told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

He said that the stadium was 98 percent ready for the championships.

Sri Hudani, an official from the stadium management, said that the work entailed the replacement of the wooden flooring inside the court -- the first time this had been done since its establishment in the 1960s -- to meet International Badminton Federation (IBF) standards.

"We spent approximately Rp 7 billion, mainly on replacing the wooden floor, on the air-conditioning system and fixing the roof," she said.

Sri said that the courts had new carpets and lighting equipment installed, the cost of which was met by the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI).

The Thomas and Uber Cups, the biennial world badminton team competition for men and women, will run from May 7 to May 16, with 16 nations participating.

The stadium, with a capacity of 10,000, has witnessed traditional rivalries, especially between Indonesia and Malaysia.

In the 1967 final, spectator interference during the eighth match prompted the abandonment of a Thomas Cup encounter. Indonesia conceded the remaining two matches in a rescheduled tie in New Zealand to hand Malaysia a 6-3 victory.

This year, the Indonesian men's team will enter the arena as the defending champion after winning the cups in the last five occurrences since 1994.

While the management has not increased the number of seats, the stands already look neatly rearranged, with the seats painted in bright colors.

Workers were still busy with the lighting and changing room next to the main courts.

Sri said that several new rooms, including a testing laboratory and some changing rooms, had been built.

The arena is now equipped with an entrance gate exclusively for athletes on the right side of the stadium for security reasons.

The organizers have said that they will adopt extra security measures during the championships to ensure that traveling participants are adequately protected.

Earlier, head of the organizing committee Sulistyanto expressed relief that the stadium would be ready in time for the competition.

"We have told the stadium management to press on with the refurbishment and they have promised to finish the job by April 28 at the latest," he said.

Erratum:

On Wednesday's edition, in the story titled 'Former star upset...', it read: "With Candra, Sigit became a world champion in 2003." It should have read: "With Candra, Sigit reached the final in the 2003 World Championship." We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Editor