PBSI select 58 players for Olympics
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) has named 58 athletes who will take part in a special training program for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
Project manager Rudy Hartono said on Tuesday the athletes comprised veteran and younger players selected from both inside and outside the Cipayung national badminton training center.
Rudy confirmed that the talented Taufik Hidayat was among the athletes that would take part in the program, but dismissed speculation that he would call up the country's foreign-based shuttlers, including men's doubles specialist Tony Gunawan who won the gold medal with Candra Wijaya at the 1998 Games in Sydney. Tony now plays in the United States.
Rudy, however, declined to reveal the rest of Olympic candidates, saying it was the prerogative of PBSI chairman Chairul Tanjung to announce the selected shuttlers.
"Pak Chairul Tanjung will sign the list and make it public in two weeks," said Rudy, an eight-time All England and world champion, as quoted by Antara.
The training program will begin as soon as Chairul announces the lineup, and Rudy said the performance of the athletes would be appraised after six months.
"Of course we will short-list them. Each player carries the same burden, it depends on how they progress," Rudy said.
Only the top 16 players or teams in the singles and doubles categories, based on International Badminton Federation rankings, qualify automatically for the Olympics. A country, however, cannot send more than three players and three doubles teams to the Olympics.
Indonesia won two gold medals, from Susi Susanti and Alan Budikusuma, when badminton made its debut as a medal event at the Olympics in Barcelona in 1992. In the following two Olympics, the country has won the gold medal in the men's doubles.
Regarding Taufik, who was widely reported to have returned to Singapore following Indonesia's Thomas Cup victory in April, Rudy said the young player had agreed to come home.
"I have talked to him. He said he would stay in Indonesia," said Rudy, who will be in charge of training the singles players.
Taufik left the national training center last year after a row over his favorite coach, Mulyo Handoyo, whose contract was not extended by the PBSI. Mulyo subsequently moved to Singapore.
During the special training program, Rudy will be assisted by Agus Dwi Santoso, Wahyu, Joko Supriyanto and Asep S, who will coach the men's singles players. The women's singles team will train under the tutelage of Ivana Lie.
PBSI has also named the national training director, Christian Hadinata, to lead the doubles teams. He will be supported by Paulus Firman and Bagus Setiadi (women's doubles), Richard Mainaky and Yanti Kusmiati (mixed doubles), and Heri Iman Pierngadi and Aryono Miranat (men's doubles).