Christian, kingmaker in badminton

Christian, kingmaker in badminton

Novan Iman Santosa and Primastuti Handayani, The Jakarta Post,
Guangzhou/Jakarta

Four years ago in Hong Kong, a European coach approached
Indonesia's chief coach Christian Hadinata and said: "Your
country is in such a mess, yet you can still defend the Thomas
Cup."

Indonesian top shuttlers, who, like Christian, are mostly of
Chinese descent, were struggling to retain the Thomas Cup for the
11th time when anti-Chinese riots erupted in Jakarta. The
violence broke out following the killing of four Trisakti
University student demonstrators by security forces on their
campus.

Christian recalled, "I could not forget the other countries'
comments on our victory. Badminton has proven that it can unite
all players from different ethnic backgrounds to reach glory even
though our country's image was severely tarnished because of the
riots."

During their do-or-die match, the 1998 Thomas and Uber Cup
teams had to retain full concentration on the court even though
their families back home were in grave danger.

"We were shocked to learn about what was happening back home.
It was on the TV and in the newspapers every day. I was lucky
that our shuttlers could still concentrate fully on the matches,"
Christian, who played an important role in assuring the players,
said on the sidelines of the Thomas and Uber Cup finals in
Guangzhou, China, last week.

"The team manager, (the late) Agus Wirahadikusumah (then an
Army Brigadier General), made a special command post at our hotel
to enable all shuttlers and officials to contact their families.
Pak Agus made security arrangements with troops back in Jakarta.
He told our families to contact the nearest military post if
there was any trouble."

Christian, who currently serves as the training director at
the Indonesian Badminton Center in Cipayung, East Jakarta, must
carry the burden of supporting the teams emotionally as part of
his duty.

He is a living badminton legend, an eight-time winner of the
All England who received his first All England title in 1972. The
Christian and Ade Chandra pair crushed Britons Eddy Sutton and
David Eddy in the final.

"It was our first time participating (in the All England) and
we won, even though we were the underdogs. I'll never forget that
moment because people had underestimated us," recalled Christian.

Christian happens to be the brother-in-law of veteran
badminton ace Rudy Hartono, a seven-time All England champion in
the men's singles.

Since then Christian has managed to collect various titles and
joined the Thomas Cup team six times, remaining unbeatable even
when the team lost in 1982 and 1986.

Christian began his coaching career in 1989 at the Jakarta
Djarum club for men's doubles.

Later he was involved in the 1992 national team for the
Barcelona Olympics. He helped Edi Hartono and Gunawan grab the
silver medal. Four years later, he also helped Rexy Mainaky and
Ricky Subagja win the gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

"As their coach, their victory was the best reward I've ever
earned. Ricky and Rexy only reached the quarterfinals in 1992 so
I was prepared to win in the next Olympics. The pair was
phenomenal as they seldom lost," said Christian who broke down in
tears after the victory.

Even with his new position as training director, Christian
still played an important role in helping Candra Wijaya and Tony
Gunawan win the Sydney 2000 Olympics gold.

His success in creating the world's top doubles was triggered
by the fact that the men's doubles were often made a scapegoat
every time the team lost a major event in the 1980s.

"It really hurts to know that we were scapegoats. That gave me
the determination to create the world's strongest doubles. And I
did it," said the big fan of the Manchester United soccer club.

With his caliber of producing world champions, Christian is
very loyal to the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI). He
did not object when the association was forced to cut his salary
due to the monetary crisis and to help PBSI save money.

"I have become what I am because of PBSI. Now it's payback
time. Even though I've gotten many offers from other countries to
train abroad, I always turn them down."

"There are social rewards, which I don't think I could achieve
abroad. Everybody knows me in Indonesia, but as soon as I am out
of the country, I am a perfect stranger. I also get opportunities
to meet many leaders in the country, including our presidents and
ministers."

His position as an official at PBSI does not prevent him from
directly coaching the shuttlers, particularly the men's doubles.
There is a special court at the center named "Koh (big brother)
Chris's court".

"Only champions can challenge me during training on my court,"
said the man, who is proudly called the master of drive.

His comment even encourages the younger players to try playing
against their seniors to enable them to train on the special
court.

However, he still has many ambitions with the national team.

"We must defend and improve our achievements in prestigious
events, such as the World Championships, Thomas Cup and All
England. We must also win golds in the 2004 Athens Olympics from
any category," he said.

"Next year, we must work harder to bring home the Sudirman Cup
after only reaching the final last year. As for the Uber Cup,
it's a challenge to win, but we have to reach the final round."

Christian, the youngest of six siblings, was introduced to
badminton by his elder brothers. He used to practice on a dirt
court next to an elementary school, but he later trained on his
best friend's hotel court.

Being involved in the same sport for over 30 years has not
made him interested to try other things.

"I will be involved in badminton for a long time. Even if I'm
no longer at PBSI, I'll return to my club or maybe establish my
own badminton camp. It will take a lot of money to set up a
properly equipped school, unless I can find a strong sponsor to
finance the camp," he said.

CHRISTIAN HADINATA

Born: Purwokerto, Dec. 11, 1949;
Wife: Yoke Anwar (married in 1978);
Children: Mario Hadinata, Mariska Hadinata;
Parents: Timotius Hadinata (father), Aer Nio (mother);
Club: Djarum