China predicts win over RI in Sudirman Cup
China predicts win over RI in Sudirman Cup
JAKARTA (JP): China predicted its victory over Indonesia at
the Sudirman Cup semifinals Friday, coach Liu Yongbo said in
Glasgow, Scotland, yesterday.
"We didn't pick our rivals in the semifinals. We just thought
whoever it is we have to beat them to win the match," Liu told
Antara after his team's 3-2 victory.
"Our motivation was to beat all rivals and bring home the
Sudirman Cup," Liu said.
He said China did not discriminate between the top shuttlers
and juniors in his team.
Liu said the key to his team's victory over Indonesia was the
men's singles.
"Dong Jiong's win over Indonesia's Ardy B. Wiranata boosted
our spirits and motivation. Besides, our women's doubles (Ge
Fei/Gu Jun) always wins against Eliza/Zelin Resiana," he said.
"We have completed two tasks. The first was winning the group
and the second the semifinals. Now we have to win the finals," he
said.
Indonesia's Susi Susanti and Chandra Wijaya/Sigit Budiarto won
their matches but Eliza/Zelin deserve blame for their 20th loss
to Ge/Gu.
One of Indonesia's team's officials Hadi Nazri, who had
declined to be interviewed, finally said that Indonesia's
badminton achievements were becoming fewer, especially among the
young players.
"It's a challenge for the Badminton Association of Indonesia
to generate shuttlers to play in future international events," he
said.
The crisis is in men's and women's singles.
"In the men's singles, Indra Wijaya and Budi Santoso have yet
to reach their peak while old hands Joko Suprianto, Alan
Budikusuma and Ardy B. Wiranata's skills and stamina are
decreasing," he said.
In the women's singles, none of the younger players are up to
the standard of Susi Susanti and Mia Audina.
"The association must rearrange the regeneration system, not
only for shuttlers but for coaches and officials too," he said.
The next Sudirman Cup and World Badminton Championships will
be in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1999, said IBF vice president
Justian Suhandinata in Glasgow.
A federation executive committee meeting at Moat House Hotel
decided to stage the event in Copenhagen.
Denmark's capital will stage the biennial event for the second
time. The first was in 1991.
"Sweden's Gothenburg also proposed holding the event," Justian
said.
But the federation picked Copenhagen because it has more
appropriate badminton facilities than Gothenburg.
"Besides, badminton is better known in Denmark than in
Sweden," he said.
Gothenburg also proposed staging the Thomas and Uber Cup
championships in 2000.
The Sudirman Cup was held for the first time in Jakarta in
1989. It went to Copenhagen, Denmark in 1991, to Birmingham,
England in 1993, to Laussane, Switzerland in 1995 and to Glasgow
this year.
Justian said the federation's decision to stage the Sudirman
Cup championships in Europe and the Thomas and Uber Cup
championships in Asia could be changed.
"It was a flexible decision. It is possible to change the
championships' venue," he said.
Justian said the federation had not discussed separating the
Sudirman Cup and the World Championships.
"We have yet to receive suggestions to separate the events,"
he said.
The federation agreed to unite the Sudirman Cup and the World
Championships in 1989. At that time, the Sudirman Cup was rivaled
by the Herbert Scheele Cup.
"I agreed with the unity under one condition, that the
Sudirman Cup would receive the same publicity as the World
Championships," he said.
Justian said the organizers had yet to change the publicity
which focused on the World Championships. (yan)