RI eyes four golds in Asiad badminton

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia vows to regain its domination in the Asian Games after a 12-year lapse by bringing home four golds at the Games in Hiroshima this October.

Executive chairman of the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) Sumaryono told a hearing at the national sports governing body (KONI) presided over by Soeweno yesterday that Indonesian shuttlers have great chances of winning the men's and women's singles and men's and women's team events at the Games.

"It is our national aspiration we are poised to bring about," Sumaryono said. Performance wise, Indonesian shuttlers, holders of both Thomas and Uber Cups and winners of all major world badminton titles, look set to prevail in the badminton competitions during the Oct. 4-12 sporting meet.

"We are eying the four titles, but it's not impossible to take the other laurels," he said.

Sumaryono indicated that the triumphant Thomas and Uber Cuppers will likely form the national team for the Games. "No major change is suggested on the winning teams," he said.

Each of the men's and women's teams will be made up of eight shuttlers. PBSI will announce its team's lineup on Thursday.

Preparations for the Games cost the national top shuttlers to miss two tournaments in Denmark and Canada. PBSI has decided to send junior players to both events.

Indonesia last joined the gold medal winner club in Asiad badminton competitions in 1982 with men's doubles and mixed doubles titles.

All players who had been set to join the national badminton team started their intensive training sessions last Friday.

Also yesterday, the Hiroshima Asian Games Organizing Committee (HAGOC) asked KONI to submit the list of names of the Indonesian athletes who will make the trip to the Games by the end of this month.

A HAGOC envoy, Kazumaru Mikami, said upon his meeting with KONI executive chairman Soeweno that the sooner KONI lets the committee know the national athletes' names, the easier HAGOC can make preparations for accommodation and other services for the Indonesian contingent, as well as the other national squads.

Mikami told Soeweno that Hiroshima, the first non-capital city to host the sporting extravaganza, has been ready to welcome more than 7,000 athletes and officials. More than 8,200 athletes and officials have been registered for the Asiad, but HAGOC asked for reduced entrants. (amd)