RI best shuttlers return to GP races

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's best shuttlers return to the courts this week as the world badminton season comes to an end.

There are three grand prix tournaments remaining, starting with the Hong Kong Open tomorrow, before the world's best players gather in Singapore for the Grand Prix finals at the end of November.

World champion Hariyanto Arbi will lead a 16-strong team to the Hong Kong Open after a two month lay-off. Olympic gold medalist Alan Budikusuma will also go to uphold Indonesia's quest for three titles in Hong Kong.

Hariyanto is expected to win the men's singles crown at the five-day tournament. Indonesia hopes to win the other two titles with the world men's doubles champions Rexy Mainaky and Ricky Subagja and the mixed doubles team of Minarti and Trikus Heryanto.

In the absence of world number one Susi Susanti, Indonesia banks on the country's teenagers Mia Audina and Cindana in the women's singles. Susi will play in the last two tournaments in Thailand and China.

China Open

The China Open in Chengdu and the Thai Open in Bangkok will follow the Hong Kong Open. Grand prix tournaments always start on Wednesday and conclude on Sunday.

Training Director of the Badminton Association of Indonesia, Iwan Setiawan, said over the weekend that his best players needed only to play once to assure themselves trips to Singapore.

"Barring unexpected injuries, they are going to make a trip to Singapore," Iwan said.

Hariyanto, who wasn't included on the list for 18th Southeast Asian Games in December, will not go to China or Thailand. Former world champion Joko Suprianto will play once in China, missing his title defense in Bangkok. Joko won the German Open two weeks ago.

The latest world grand prix rankings put six Indonesian men's singles, two women's singles, four men's doubles, one women's doubles and one mixed doubles among the world's top.

Only eight singles players and eight doubles teams from each gender plus eight mixed doubles teams qualify for the world grand prix finals between Nov. 29 and Dec. 3. They are vying for US$750,000 in cash prizes, the biggest prize money offered in the history of badminton.

The International Badminton Federation has decided to use grand prix tournaments as qualifying rounds for the Olympic Games in Atlanta next year.

Indonesian players will rest for a week before returning to Thailand for the SEA Games in Chiang Mai in December . (amd)