Rexy to coach English team starting in 2001
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian men's doubles player Rexy Mainaky will officially take over as coach of the English badminton team on Jan. 8, 2001, after resigning from the national team.
"I have been in discussions with the Badminton Association of England since last year's All England and I also visited the training camp near London last year. I will bring my family with me for my two-year tenure," Rexy said.
Traerup-Hansen of Finland, the performance director with the Badminton Association of England, was quoted as saying by Reuters on Wednesday: "Following our medal success at Sydney, it is exciting that such a highly regarded player has been attracted to English badminton."
England secured its first-ever Olympic badminton medal thanks to mixed doubles Joanne Goode and Simon Archer, who beat the Danish pair of Michael Sogaard and Rikke Olsen in the bronze medal match.
Rexy grabbed Indonesia's sole gold at the 1996 Olympics with partner Ricky. They were the world number one men's doubles team from 1993 to 1997, when they were supplanted by teammates Candra Wijaya and Sigit Budiarto.
Rexy will make his final appearance for Indonesia before a home crowd at the JVC Asian Badminton Confederation (ABC) championships at Senayan Indoor Stadium from Nov. 1 to Nov. 5. Rexy will team with Tony Gunawan, who just won the Olympic gold medal, because Ricky Subagja is skipping the championships to wed national swimmer Elsa Manora Nasution on Oct. 28.
PBSI secretary-general Leo Chandra Wiranata said Rexy had yet to submit his official resignation letter.
"He will still compete at the ABC championships and the Ipoh Master two weeks after that with Tony, while Candra will partner Eng Hian.
"Anyway, we are proud that we are able to produce experts in badminton," he said.
Leo said Rexy had contributed much to the country and it was time for him to decide on his future.
"If he gets an offer of, let's say US$2,000 (per month), why should he turn it down. It's his right."
Meanwhile, Leo said the World Junior Badminton Championship in Guangzhou, China, would employ the knock-out format to guarantee all participants would have more opportunities to play against teams of equal strength.
"The participating 25 countries will be divided into four groups, which will be further divided into two subgroups. The opponents will be drawn from the other subgroups in a group," he said.
"There will be three countries emerging from each group. They will then meet countries from other groups with the same records. A second-place team from a certain group, for example, will meet a second-place team from another group."
In the second round, a country will be eliminated if it is beaten by its opponent. No countries, however, are expelled in the first round. A country will have to play about five other countries to reach the title match.
Leo said the new system would afford more playing opportunities and experience to all players, as well as ensuring fairer matches.
"This way, a weak country won't meet badminton giants like China or Indonesia, which we see in the ordinary system," he said.
PBSI will send 22 junior shuttlers to the championships, but is only aiming at reaching the quarterfinals.
The shuttlers have been training at the Indonesian Badminton Center in Cipayung, East Jakarta, for nearly six months. (nvn/yan)