PBSI lets Susi and Sigit stay at center
JAKARTA (JP): The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) will permit pregnant 1992 Olympic women's singles gold medalist Susi Susanti and suspended 1997 world champion men's doubles Sigit Budiarto to remain at the Indonesian Badminton Center.
PBSI vice chairman Agus Wirahadikusumah told The Jakarta Post and Kompas daily on Wednesday they would be allowed to stay in the national program even though Susi was on maternity leave and Sigit suspended for use of the steroid nandrolone. Agus earlier met with PBSI chairman Subagyo Hadisiswoyo.
"We'll let Susi opt either to return to the center or retire after having her baby, while Sigit will be focused on the 2000 Olympics qualifying round after he finishes his suspension in November," he said.
"Both are entitled to privileges due to their previous international form."
Susi, who is married to 1992 Olympic gold medalist shuttler Alan Budikusuma, is due to give birth next week.
The International Badminton Federation suspended Sigit for a year after finding traces of the drug in his urine samples from last year's Singapore Open. He and former partner Chandra Wijaya also were forced to forfeit their title and prize money. His suspension ends on Nov. 16.
PBSI is expected to announce its decision on expelling 15 players from the center and promoting 19 shuttlers on Thursday.
Agus said the criteria for dismissing the shuttlers were international performances, anthropometrics, personality, future prospects and the term of their stay at the center.
He declined to divulge the names, saying secretary-general Leo Chandra Wiranata would announce it on Thursday or Friday at the latest.
Agus said dismissal of some shuttlers was necessary to provide an opportunity to juniors to join the center and show their form in international events.
"If we don't expel them, our juniors won't have the chance to join the center and we cannot groom them earlier to replace the senior shuttlers," he said.
"This is a part of our continuous athletes development programs. We have supervised their performance in the last three years but they never show any improvement."
PBSI official in charge of athletes development, Mangombar Ferdinand Siregar, said he devised a scale of 410 points from the criteria as the minimum for shuttlers at the center.
"If they reach less than 410, then we have to dismiss them," he said.
Siregar said expulsion would not necessarily end the careers of the shuttlers.
"They are still welcome to compete in national circuit events. If they improve their form, we'll consider promoting them to the center," he said.
Six juniors are automatically admitted to the center due to their excellent form in three interclub tournaments last year. They are boys singles Arief Rasidi, girls singles Niniek Masrikah and Atu Rosalina, and the boys doubles pairing of twins Denny Setiawan and Donny Prasetyo and another boys doubles specialist, Santoso.
Siregar said PBSI would improve the promotion system under the supervision of the association vice chairman, research and development deputy and talent scouting deputy. (yan)