Indonesian shuttlers face the toughest challenge
Indonesian shuttlers face the toughest challenge
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian shuttlers, still healing bruises they suffered last season, encounter the toughest challenge ever in their bid to keep the badminton world under their control.
Secretary-General of the Badminton Association of Indonesia, RAJ Gosal, said yesterday that the country's best shuttlers have to take on the heavy burdens of retaining two Olympic gold medals and both the Thomas and Uber Cups trophies.
"We don't want to choose which one is more important than the other. We mean all of them," Gosal said.
The Thomas Cup men's team championship and its women's counterpart will be held in Hong Kong in May, about one and a half months prior to the Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Indonesia won its first ever Olympic laurels through women's singles Susi Susanti and men's singles Alan Budikusuma in 1992. Then it romped home with a double Cup glory here in 1994.
Gosal admitted that Indonesia's performance last year "was not as good as that in 1994," but he said he believed his squad could recapture the glory.
All-England double blows, the upset defeat by China in the Sudirman Cup mixed team championship, injuries which struck two top women's singles Susi and Mia Audina marred Indonesia's formidable badminton record last year.
"We are afraid of such unexpected failures, which are common in sports, but we still have five months to prepare," Gosal said.
He said that the association would maintain its policy of giving its players equal opportunities to win either Olympic or team championship berths.
"Survival of the fittest is the fairest method of selection for the national teams," Gosal said.
He added that the race for places on the Olympic team will be a little bit different due to the quota ruling. Indonesia is only allowed to earn three spots in singles and two in doubles.
There are five Indonesian men's singles players and three women who have a good chance of qualifying for the Olympics.
"Basically, the top three will make it to Atlanta, but we will look at their latest performances prior to the Olympics," Gosal said.
The International Badminton Federation (IBF) has decided that only top 16 in each of the world singles and doubles rankings will line up for the draw in badminton competitions in Atlanta.
IBF is using the grand prix tournaments for the Olympic qualifying rounds. These will conclude in the All-England next March. The world badminton body will announce Olympic qualifiers early in April.
The race for Olympic berths will resume in the Taipei Masters, the season opener, next week. Chinese players are expected to make their debut in the land which their country has a long political feud.
Susi will make her first grand prix appearance after she crashed out in the China Open with a strained Achilles tendon early in November last year. (amd)