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.