Improvement needed to bring badminton center up to standard

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A quick tour of the National Badminton Training Center in Cipayung, East Jakarta, shows that some parts of it have seen better days.

Several of its wooden badminton courts are scuffed and scratched, and equipment in the cramped, stuffy fitness center is rusting.

Set back off a side road in its own sprawling compound, the center, officially opened by then president Soeharto in November 1992, boasts a badminton hall, fitness center, massage room, offices, dormitories, cafeteria, prayer hall and parking areas.

It's hard to imagine from the state of some facilities -- looking more in keeping with a neighborhood sports center -- that it has produced some of the sport's leading names, past and present.

The upkeep of the gym is particularly irksome to men's doubles player Luluk Hadiyanto.

"Well, when we go to the gym, we have to be careful about the equipment because if we have a cut and it's still bleeding, we might get tetanus," he said recently.

Upgrading the facility, he added, could help athletes get in prime condition to compete.

"Even with the current condition of the fitness center, we still keep training because we are athletes, but it may not be to maximum effect."

Fitness workouts are scheduled for each Tuesday and Friday for the shuttlers. Daily badminton practice is from 7:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.-6 p.m., with a half-day on Saturday and Sundays off.

For unmarried players like Luluk, the center is also home, as the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) requires they live on site (an exception is Athens Olympic gold medalist Taufik Hidayat, who lives in his own residence).

Luluk complained about the quality and variety of meals served in the center's cafetaria.

"Almost every day, we get tempe mendoan (deep-fried tempeh in batter), eggs and rice," he said. "That isn't good enough as I heard that PBSI allocated Rp 35,000 (US$3.8) to Rp 40,000 for shuttlers' food. I prefer to eat outside the Cipayung training center."

His complaints and those of other residents about the center may be dealt with in the near future. New research and development head Tan Joe Hok said last month that his goal was to improve the facilities to a standard befitting the country's leading athletes.

"Our program for 2005 is to repair everything that needs fixing," he said. "The gymnasium, holes in the court, even to having full AC in the dorms and to the food in the dining room."

Doubles player Candra Wijaya said the 21 practice courts needed particular attention.

"Currently, the condition of the badminton courts at Cipayung is not really good anymore. But I've seen some repair work being done after practice sessions, so I think PBSI understands the situation."

Former national coach Ivana Lie, who coached the women's shuttlers until last year, noted the fitness center was among the facilities in need of improvement.

"We also don't have a device to the measure the players' heart rate although we know that it is important to monitor their fitness."

Ivana, like Tan, is a proponent of using state of the art technology and science in preparing players for the challenges of the court, including sports psychology.

"We should make room for sport psychologists to help improve the performance of the players, but so far we underestimate their role," she said.