Penitent Christian enjoys badminton world

Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta

Christian Hadinata, the former director of the national badminton training center who was relegated to a coach, says he has no hard feelings toward the badminton governing body PBSI.

His acceptance of his new role seems in part driven by the feeling that he failed in his former job.

"I feel that I failed in my role as the center's director because our shuttlers failed to achieve anything. And the fact that I was barely able to handle many of the problems that arose in the camp is indicative of my failure," Christian said during a media tour of the center in Cipayung, eastern Jakarta, on Thursday.

He declined to discuss the types of problems he experienced during his term, saying it was confidential.

Victories have been rare of late for Indonesian shuttlers. The country recently lost the Thomas Cup men's team title, which it had won five consecutive times, and the shuttlers returned from the Malaysia Open in June empty-handed.

However, Christian signaled that off-court problems in the form of intervention by people from outside the center contributed to the problems.

He said he could not exercise full authority as camp director due to intervention by other people, whom he refused to identify.

An All England champion in the 1970s, Christian became head of the center in 1997 when PBSI was chaired by Soebagyo Hadi Siswoyo. He held the post up until last month, when PBSI chairman Chairul Tanjung was forced out.

New PBSI chairman Sutiyoso launched a major shake-up of the organization, and Christian ended up coaching the men's doubles teams.

Icuk Sugiarto has taken over as the new director of the center.

Discussing his new position, Christian said: "Badminton is my world. I will take any job related to badminton, including coaching the men's doubles. I will enjoy my new job as a coach more than being camp director because I am a bad administrator."

Coaching men's doubles is not new to Christian, and he guided Ricky Subagja and Rexy Mainaky to the 1996 Olympic gold medal.

Christian's changing post came in the run-up to the 2004 Olympics where Indonesia's hopes for gold medals will best rest on the shuttlers among 39-strong contingent.