Chicken pox no threat to Indonesian shuttlers

Chicken pox no threat to Indonesian shuttlers

JAKARTA (JP): Chairman of the Badminton Association of
Indonesia, Surjadi, confirmed yesterday that preparations for the
Atlanta Olympic Games would continue despite the chicken pox
cases in the squad.

Surjadi said that the badminton body would conduct
vaccinations to prevent the disease spreading at the national
badminton base camp at Cipayung, East Jakarta. Temporarily
seclusion has also been imposed on the three female shuttlers who
were diagnosed as having the contagious illness.

"Chicken pox will not defeat our preparations for the
Olympics," Surjadi said during a Thomas Cup and Uber Cup victory
celebration at the Tarumanegara University in West Jakarta
yesterday.

Indonesia, parading 20 players, is setting its sights on two
badminton gold medals in Atlanta, Georgia this July. Badminton
players will make up more than half of the Indonesian team at the
Games.

Uber Cup debutant Meiluawati, junior player Carmelita and Yuni
Kartika, who all failed to qualify for Atlanta, were struck down
with the disease prior to their departure to the Asia Cup
championships, now underway in Seoul.

"It's not that strange if a badminton player, like anybody
else, suffers from chicken pox," Surjadi said.

He admitted that medical experts of the badminton body have
yet to discover how the players contracted the disease. (amd)