Deyana could make badminton team for Asiad

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Deyana Lomban, a doubles specialist paired with Vita Marissa, could grab a bronze medal as part of the Indonesian contingent to the upcoming Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, an official said on Friday.

"The opportunity for the couple (Deyana and Vita) to secure a bronze medal in Busan is wide open as the Chinese pair and the South Korean pair will for sure take the gold and silver respectively," Syaiful Arisanto, the deputy director for Development and Planning of the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI), told Antara in Kudus, Central Java.

Syaiful, who is also chairman of the Kudus-based Djarum Badminton Club, was commenting on Deyana's second withdrawal statement from the Indonesian Asian Games badminton squad.

"Therefore, PBSI should prevent Deyana from really withdrawing from the squad," he said.

Deyana initially announced her withdrawal from the badminton squad after her elimination during the early stages of the Indonesian Open in Surabaya, East Java, at the end of last month.

Observers said emotional fatigue was plaguing Deyana, who has represented Indonesia many times in international tournaments.

The 26-year-old Deyana was reportedly complaining about the pressure she was feeling from the criticism that she was unworthy for the Asian Games after her 9-11, 9-11 loss to the Thai pairing of Saralee Thungthongkam and Sujitra Ekmongkolpaisarn in Surabaya.

After a meeting with Indonesia's chef de mission for the Asian Games, Rudolf S. Warouw, on Sept. 11, the doubles player eventually agreed to remain in the squad, but insisted that her participation in the sports event was to represent Indonesia and not the PBSI on the grounds that she had quit the PBSI-organized badminton national training center in Cipayung, East Jakarta.

Deyana, however, renewed her withdrawal statement from the squad a few days ago, saying that she could not concentrate on the games in Busan.

"Deyana is one of the country's best doubles specialists. It would be a pity to let her go when the Asian Games are only nine days away," Syaiful said.

The official said PBSI would look into the matter and reach a settlement.

He said it was unethical for a PBSI official to undervalue her performance, especially in a situation when the country's badminton performance in the women's event was at a low level.

"The PBSI officials should have encouraged the female players after their failures in the women's Uber Cup in Guangzhou, China and the Indonesian Open last month. They should not have discouraged them," Syaiful said.

"While continuously looking for potentials in badminton, PBSI should maintain its players camped in the training center, including Deyana," he added.