Hoyer-Larsen worrying about Bali's weather

NUSA DUA, Bali (JP): Dane Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen sees the Balinese weather as his main problem at the Lipton Grand Prix Badminton Finals here.

"If I play well I should be able to reach the semifinals but I'll play patiently because of the high humidity," he told reporters yesterday.

"I'm not really used to the humidity yet. But if I can reach the semifinals I'll have a 40 to 50 percent chance to win," the Olympic gold medalist said.

The 31-year-old Hoyer-Larsen is in the same group as Indonesians Alan Budikusuma, the 1992 Olympic gold medalist, rookie Budi Santoso, the 1996 Indonesia Open finalist, and Hu Zhiland of China.

"I think I have a chance to beat Alan and then I can reach the semifinals," he said.

He beat Alan at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia.

Hoyer-Larsen, who is moving to England due to the 68 percent taxation in his country, predicted that Dong Jiong of China and defending champion Joko Suprianto of Indonesia will probably contest the final.

"I saw Dong and Joko in the Thailand Open, where Dong won the final last month. If Dong can take the humidity and the warmth, he is the top favorite," Hoyer-Larsen said.

"But if he can't handle it, then it would be Joko," he added.

The US$350,000 tournament is being staged at the Juana Mandala Stadium in the center of Bali's capital Denpasar, which is located about 40km away from the players' hotel. Both the officials and players are staying at Hilton Hotel in Nusa Dua.

Hoyer-Larsen said that his tight schedule is forcing him to skip the Sanyo World Cup Badminton Championship in Jakarta, next week.

"I have to play in the China Masters from Dec. 17 to Dec. 23, and after Christmas I'll play in the Copenhagen Masters. In January, I'll play at the Taiwan Open and Japan Open championships," he said.

"If I have to play in the World Cup, it means that by mid- January I would have played a tournament every week for six weeks, and that's too much," he said.

Hoyer-Larsen said that he had to decide between playing in the World Cup or the China Masters.

"I did not show up at the China Open in October and so I agreed to show up at the China Masters. It's a matter of political reasoning," he said.

Hoyer-Larsen was surprised when he learned his picture was printed on the World Cup posters.

"I haven't confirmed my participation in the World Cup. But I told the Danish Badminton Association one month ago and they should have informed Indonesia or the organizers," he said.

"I'm really sorry. I do feel sorry..." he said repeatedly.

Hoyer-Larsen, who wants to defend his title at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, said that he always has stomach problems whenever he performs in Jakarta but does not have similar troubles here.

He also said that the fans in Jakarta, who are known for their fanatic cheering, are a support.

"I love the supporters in Indonesia and Malaysia. We miss that kind of supporter in Europe. In Denmark and Germany, our supporters only show up for the big tournaments," he said. (yan)