Players welcome decision to continue training in Jakarta
Players welcome decision to continue training in Jakarta
JAKARTA (JP): Junior badminton players and coach are happy
with the Badminton Association of Indonesia's decision to cancel
plans to shift their training programs to clubs and provincial
badminton centers.
Irwansyah, the 1997 Poland men's singles semifinalist, said
yesterday that he preferred to be coached at the National
Badminton Center in Cipayung, East Jakarta, than anywhere else.
"In the national center, we have top shuttlers as models and
practice partners. It gives us better motivation to improve our
skills and technique," said Irwansyah, who has been out of the
sport for five months with a back injury.
"In clubs or provincial centers, I think our practice partners
would not be as good as they are here", he said.
Women's singles coach Retno Kustiyah told The Jakarta Post
that the change in plans would benefit the players.
"If the association maintains centralized training, the
players can consult the coach more easily. They will also get
more chances to compete abroad and get more attention from their
coaches," Retno said.
The association announced Monday that it had reversed its plan
to transfer 15 players away from the center, deciding instead to
retain the 65 players who currently train at the center.
When the association first announced its plan to send athletes
to clubs and provincial centers last month, six players resigned
in protest.
The three senior players who parted company with the
association are Alan Budikusuma, a 1992 Olympic gold medalist,
and Hermawan Susanto and Ardy B. Wiranata, who both now plan to
coach in America. Three junior players, Dwi Aryanto, Agus
Heriyanto and Salim, also resigned. They will now play in
Germany, Hong Kong and Brunei Darussalam respectively.
Under the regime run at the national center, junior players
train twice a week with senior players. However, this week's All
England championships in Birmingham, England, and the Thomas and
Uber Cups to be held in Hong Kong in May, have meant that
practice sessions with the seniors can only be carried out once a
week.
"If the players have to practice in clubs and provincial
centers, facilities on offer may not be as good and communication
with coaches will be impeded," Retno said.
Women's singles player Cindana expressed the same sentiments.
"If all players train here, we have more competition which
will boost our determination to be the best in the business," she
said.
Cindana said she had decided not to compete in the All England
championships this year due to a poor performance in the Japan
Open earlier in the year, where she only reached the second
round. (yan)