PBSI bows to Taufik's demands, hires Mulyo for All England
PBSI bows to Taufik's demands, hires Mulyo for All England
JAKARTA (JP): After taking into consideration demands by world
number four Taufik Hidayat, the Badminton Association of
Indonesia (PBSI) has decided to hire coach Mulyo Handoyo to
prepare the 19-year-old shuttler for the most prestigious event,
the All England, next month.
"There is no problem at all in having Mulyo on a short-term
contract for All England only. Not only is it a prestigious
event, but we also have the potential to win," chairman Subagyo
Hadisiswoyo told reporters at the Indonesian Badminton Center in
Cipayung, East Jakarta, on Monday.
"All England is only an intermediary target for PBSI because
we are focusing on the Sudirman Cup mixed team event and mostly
the World Championships.
"Please understand that it is part of our efforts to retain
our domination in badminton.
Subagyo had said that PBSI would concentrate on the World
Championships and put less priority on the Sudirman Cup due to
the poor form of its women's shuttlers.
Taufik, twice All England finalists, had threatened to quit
the national squad unless Mulyo was called back to the center. He
gave PBSI two weeks to reconsider its decision.
PBSI initially decided not to rehire Mulyo and only called
back Agus Dwi Santoso for the men's singles coach.
"I hope this matter won't turn into a polemic as it would
disadvantage PBSI and the shuttlers. They must believe in our
goodwill. There's no personal reason at all," said Subagyo.
"Besides, a new coach will give Taufik another advantage. It
would be great if he wins, but the public will understand if he
loses in All England.
"Taufik is a talented shuttler and has great potential. PBSI
will make the best out of him.
Taufik has said he will do his best in the All England.
"It has become my personal target to grab the title there. It
will not be a burden at all. It's different from the Sydney
Olympics," he said.
Taufik has made winning the All England his greatest ambition.
He has failed to take the crown twice. In 1999, he bowed out to
Peter Gade Christensen of Denmark and lost to Xia Xuanze of China
last year.
Separately, Agus admitted it would take time for him to get
used to Taufik's personality.
"Each athlete has her or his own characteristics and I don't
know him very well yet. But I have prepared a special approach to
handle Taufik.
"It's only natural for champions to act in such an eccentric
way."
Agus said he was ready to help Taufik improve his skills to
achieve a high standard.
"I will help Taufik reach his target as long as he still has
the motivation to do so. I'm ready to coach him.
"Mulyo and I have our own strengths and weaknesses. I only
hope to fill in where Mulyo lacks. This way, we can expect Taufik
to be a better shuttler.
"Technically speaking, there is no problem at all. The only
possible barrier is our personal approach."
Test delayed
PBSI has also decided to delay tests for junior shuttlers
initially scheduled for Tuesday, enabling more potential
shuttlers to participate.
"We decided to delay the tests and go back to our original
plan of calling some 50 juniors to be tested next week," an
official in charge of talent scouting, Icuk Sugiarto, said.
"PBSI will have a better list of junior shuttlers with more
shuttlers to be tested. We will then be able to be more selective
in our selection."
The initial plan was changed when several PBSI provincial
chapters demanded their juniors be admitted to the center.
"We only want to reform the recruitment process to be more
objective and free from intervention," said Icuk.
Junior coach Joko Supriyanto said more juniors were needed,
especially in doubles sectors.
"We can't expect to have a solid pair in a limited time. At
least we need one to two years to prepare. They need to change
partners to find their best partner and it takes time.
"Another problem is that we need more practice partners in
each doubles events. Two pairs in each event is not enough as
they will get bored easily." (nvn)