Elite shuttlers to star in national championships

Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The country's elite players dominate the seedings at the 2001 National Badminton Individual Championships at Bung Karno Badminton Stadium, which starts on Tuesday.

The week-long championships will be the first major event at national level to use the new best-of-five seven points scoring system. Earlier in August, the Badminton Association of Indonesia's (PBSI) West Java chapter adopted the scoring format for the Samsung-SGS Badminton Circuit.

PBSI secretary-general Leo Chandra Wiranata said the incoming tournament was mandatory for elite players who were being groomed at the badminton center.

"Although they will represent their own chapters, the chapters are allowed to field extra players," Leo said.

Central Java, East Java, West Java and Jakarta chapters have been allotted a maximum quota of 21 shuttlers, while other chapters have got 13 shuttlers.

The championships will feature senior and U-19 categories. Most of the elite shuttlers, regardless of their age, will play in the senior category.

Leo said the organizers would impose stricter regulations to avoid competitors from cheating about their age in the youth division by requesting that participants show their original birth certificates or elementary school diplomas to an age- verifying team to prove that they were born in or after 1983.

"The team will use other means to verify the age of participants if they are not satisfied with the certificates presented," he added.

Representing West Java, Indonesia's top shuttler Taufik Hidayat, who has quit the national squad, is the senior men's singles seed, while world champion Hendrawan is seeded 16th. Second stringers Johan Hadikusuma and Budi Santoso are seventh and 12th respectively.

Members of the national badminton center dominate the seedings in the youth category, with Anggun Nugroho ranked second, Ardiansyah third and Jakarta-based Taufiq Hidayat fourth. Markis Kido is sixth, Sony Dwi Kuncoro 10th and Wimpie Mawardi 11th.

In the senior women's singles, Atu Rosalina tops the seeding, while Yuli Marfuah is a low 16th. Veteran Chindana Hartono is seeded fifth.

Candra Wijaya and Sigit Budiarto top the men's doubles seeding, so do their female counterparts Minarti Timur and Vita Marissa in the women's doubles. Danish Open champions Bambang Supriyanto and Emma Ermawati have been awarded the top seed in the mixed doubles competition.