In need of inspiration

In need of inspiration

To speak about sports development in Indonesia is like
watching a person running on a treadmill: He is moving, but going
nowhere. That is what is going on in badminton here, the sport
this country has always pinned its hopes on for victory in
international events.

Much criticism has been leveled at the Badminton Association
of Indonesia (PBSI), but there have been no significant changes.
Not surprisingly, the results of such stagnation manifested
themselves recently in one of the most important events in
international badminton: The All England Championships.

The shutout on the medal stand was only the fifth time that
has happened since 1968 at the annual tournament. In 1968,
Indonesia first sent shuttlers to that prestigious tournament and
throughout 1970s and 1990s performed very well, having at least
one finalist every year. The other four shutouts occurred in
1983, 1985, 1986 and 1988. Indeed, the 1980s -- which was when
the "transfer of power" from Liem Swie King to Icuk Sugiarto took
place without the support of younger players such as Ardy
Wiranata, Alan Budikusuma and friends, who were not ready to take
over -- were the years of the sharpest decline.

PBSI, however, must consider this latest result alarming if it
does not want similar embarrassment in the future. This warning
must be taken all the more seriously since Indonesia will be
hosting the Thomas Cup (men's teams) and Uber Cup (women's teams)
championships in Jakarta from May 7 to May 16.

Playing before home crowds, the men's national squad will
naturally want to create another milestone in the nation's sports
history by chalking up a record six consecutive victories for a
total of 14 wins in all in the Thomas Cup.

In truth, that is not impossible. After all, two years ago,
PBSI faced a similar situation as its shuttlers performed poorly
in regular tournaments ahead of the Thomas and Uber Cup
championships in Guangzhou, China. But at that time the shuttlers
were greatly motivated to win and managed to turn all the doubts
upside down.

Expecting that Indonesia will win the 2004 Thomas Cup, despite
the shuttlers' poor recent form, may lead to a lot of broken
hearts. The shuttlers' individual performances, after all, are
what will determine the team's (three singles, two doubles) fate
in the tournament.

It must be realized as well that the current team composition
is quite different from the one of two years ago. In 2002,
Indonesia still had veteran world champion Hendrawan to motivate
and encourage the younger stars. The Indonesian team also still
had the lethal doubles teams of Candra Wijaya/Sigit Budiarto and
Halim Heryanto/Tri Kusheryanto.

This year, Taufik Hidayat, 22, will be the most senior singles
player, but his achievements this season (including semifinal
loss at the All England) have remained mediocre by Indonesian
standards. He will be supported by Sony Dwi Kuncoro and a group
of second stringers. Sony, 19, though, still needs a lot more
hard work in order to become a serious world-class contender.

The situation in the doubles looks slightly better as there
are many options to rely on, from Flandy Limpele/Eng Hian,
Candra/Halim and Sigit/Tri, or even junior players Luluk
Hadiyanto/Alven Yulianto.

Playing in the same group with China and the United States,
which will be supported by Indonesian-born Olympic champion Tony
Gunawan, Indonesia must work hard just to qualify for the
quarterfinal stage.

Former national coaches Indra Gunawan, Atiek Djauhari and
Retno Kustiyah have warned of the importance of improved
communication among all the players, coaches and the PBSI board.

Coaches must stimulate the shuttlers and create the right
training programs so that they will reach their peak performance
at precisely the time of the Thomas Cup event.

Former shuttler Icuk Sugiarto, for his part, criticized the
players' lack of drive to win, and his statement is supported by
national training center head Christian Hadinata, who said he
hoped the athletes would fight "like real champions".

With the Korea Open and Japan Open only 10 days ahead, from
March 29 and April 5 respectively, the shuttlers have limited
time to improve their physical and mental condition, but speaking
about technical skills is nonsense as they already have them.

PBSI chairman Chairul Tanjung could learn something from the
association's former chairmen and strive to create an atmosphere
that is conducive to bringing out the best in all the members in
the team before the event. Perhaps he could simply visit the
players, talk to them like a father, listen to their complaints
and do a few things together with the athletes in order to build
a sense of teamwork.

After all, at the end of the day when the players have been
successful in their attempt at creating history, he would be the
one who gets the credit. So, does he want to end Indonesia's
record-breaking string of wins or doesn't he? The answer is
entirely his to ponder.