JP/10/PBSI
JP/10/PBSI
JAKARTA (JP): The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI)
has denied that promises were made by entrepreneurs to pay cash
bonuses to the national badminton teams if they brought home the
world team cups.
"Up to now, we haven't heard from them (entrepreneurs) that
they will award our players an enormous amount of cash," PBSI
chairman Soerjadi said during a victory celebration dinner on
Tuesday.
Soerjadi was commenting on media reports that a group of
businessmen were willing to give rewards to the shuttlers.
Several tycoons had reportedly collected Rp 1 billion
(US$468,000) in cash for Joko Suprianto and teammates, who
managed a clean sweep in the prestigious Thomas Cup and Uber Cup
finals over the weekend.
Soerjadi attacked the stories on this issue as causing unrest
among the players. "I consider the support of the country's 180
million people to be the most valuable gift," he said. Soerjadi,
who is also the Deputy of the Army, asked pressmen to be careful
when publishing stories on cash rewards.
The Indonesian men's team claimed their ninth Thomas Cup
title, but their first in the past decade, after downing holder
Malaysia 3-0 in Saturday's shortened final. The women's squad,
sparked by three debutantes, denied China of a sixth successive
Uber Cup victory in a 3-2 nail-biter.
Indonesia captured both symbols of supremacy in world
badminton in 1976, when a Rudy Hartono led squad lifted the
country's fifth Thomas Cup in addition to the first Uber Cup
title won by the women, which was played in the previous year.
Both championships have been contested at the same occasion since
1984.
Rp 2 billion
The well-known construction magnate Ciputra organized a number
of businessmen to earmarking Rp 2 billion ($936,000) in cash
bonuses for the badminton players who snatched two golds, two
silvers and a bronze at the 1992 Olympics.
Susi Susanti and boyfriend Alan Budikusuma, who won gold
medals in women's singles and men's singles respectively, shared
half of the bonuses, while the rest went to Alan's runner-up Ardy
Wiranata, men's doubles silver medalists Edy Hartono and Rudy
Gunawan and men's singles bronze winner Hermawan Susanto.
"We welcome any commitments of cash rewards, but PBSI will
distribute them in line with the principle of equality," Soerjadi
said.
"We'd rather each badminton player receive the same amount of
money to prevent any social envy among the players," he added.
PBSI executive chairman Sumaryono had said earlier that the
organization would provide bonuses of equal measure to each
player and coach. Sumaryono, however, declined to mention the
size of the cash rewards.
Smiles
Smiles were all that filled the dinner, attended also by
Chairman Surono of the governing national sports body, when Joko,
women's doubles specialist Finarsih and men's team coach Indra
Gunawan delivered spontaneous speeches.
"We bore a heavy mental burden during our three-month training
stint. No dating or films. Ardy could hardly overcome his
temper," Joko said when he described how rigorous the training
sessions he and his teammates had undergone.
"Some of us were so nervous that they could not sleep or eat,"
he added. "Thank God we could win even without eating and
sleeping," Joko joked.
Finarsih's teammates seemed to agree with her when she took an
oath of continuing their success with gold medals at Hiroshima's
Asian Games in October. "We will complete our glory by taking top
honors we have never won," she said amid the audiences applause.
(amd)