Bung Karno indoor gears up for Cups

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