Denmark says it enjoys the enthusiasm of local fans

Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta

On the badminton circuit, Indonesian fans are renowned for their enthusiastic support of local shuttlers, and the racket raised by these fans has no doubt had an effect on many a visiting player.

But according to the manager of Denmark's Thomas and Uber Cup teams, Flemming Wiberg, the enthusiastic Indonesian fans will not bother his players.

"We think that one of the best places for this kind of championship is Indonesia because the spectators in Jakarta are always amazing," Wiberg told The Jakarta Post here on Tuesday.

Jakarta will host the Thomas Cup for men and the Uber Cup for women beginning on Friday at the Senayan indoor stadium.

Given its past experiences, Malaysia is understandably concerned about the fans, going so far as to practice in front of noisy spectators to allow the players to get used to playing in an unfriendly environment.

The finals of the 1967 Thomas Cup between Indonesia and Malaysia in Jakarta had to be abandoned because spectators kept interrupting play. Indonesia was forced to forfeit the remaining matches, handing the trophy to Malaysia.

The Denmark team, however, is confident it can handle the cauldron of the Senayan indoor stadium.

"We like it if the spectators make noise because we never have those kinds of audiences in Denmark and other European countries. It doesn't matter what they're yelling or shouting about because we don't understand them anyway," Peter Gade Christensen, one of Denmark's top players, said.

Denmark has been close to winning the Thomas Cup on numerous occasions, losing in the finals six times.

Wiberg said he was confident of winning the Thomas Cup, pointing out that Denmark would line up the world's top doubles pair in Lars Paaske and Jonas Rasmussen, and European champions Jens Erikssen and Martin Lundgaard Hansen.

"We have a very good team this time and hopefully we have a bigger chance to win the championship," Wiberg said, adding diplomatically that all of the teams were equally strong.

Denmark is expected to have Peter Gade, ranked sixth in the world by the International Badminton Federation, as its first singles, followed by Kenneth Jonassen, who is ranked 12th in the world.

"We are eager to win the Thomas Cup. We've been very close to winning it. We have to win this time," Peter Gade said.

Twelve teams each in the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup will be competing until May 16. The teams come from 16 countries.

Denmark's Thomas Cup team has been placed in Group D with Japan and England. They will open the tournament against England on Friday and will then face Japan on Monday.

Denmark's Uber Cup team is drawn against Japan and Malaysia in Group Y.

Wiberg was a little less optimistic about Denmark's chances in the Uber Cup, saying the team would relish the challenge of securing a place in the semifinals.

"Our target for the women is to reach the semifinals, and we'll see what happens next.

"The toughest opponent for the women will be China, but in our own group we notice that Malaysia has been playing well lately," he said.

Camilla Martin, one of Denmark's top women's player who lost in the semifinals of the European championships in April, said she did not consider the Uber Cup her main goal, which she said was winning gold at the Olympic Games in Athens next August.

Meanwhile, South Africa, Canada, Germany and Australia arrived here on Tuesday for the tournament. The remaining teams are expected to arrive on Wednesday.