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