Making a racket

Making a racket

Fans from all walks of life and from all over the world, from the
host city to distant Germany and South Africa, have one at the
Bung Karno Indoor Stadium in Jakarta over the past two weeks,
lending support to their teams in the Thomas and Uber Cups team
competitions.

Indonesian fans, long known for their fanatical support of
their teams, seem to be showing a bit more sportsmanship and
tolerance this time around. Thankfully, there has been no repeat
of the ignominious incident in Jakarta in 1967, when Indonesia
lost the Thomas Cup after the referee deemed it too dangerous for
the Malaysian team to play on in the final.

Fans will come out again today, carrying banners and in their
team colors, for Sunday is the day of reckoning in who will take
the title.

Hopefully, the fans, like the players, will take a victory or
loss in stride. For as Indonesian badminton legend Ferry
Sonneville once said: "That's the art of playing badminton.
Sometimes we lose, sometimes we win."

-- Text and photos by R. Berto Wedhatama