RI gets into gear for Thomas Cup, Athens
Zakki Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
With Indonesia gearing up to defend the Thomas Cup, which is to employ a new competition format this year, the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) has reiterated that its Olympic campaign will also be a top priority.
Indonesia will host the 2004 versions of the International Badminton Federation (IBF)'s oldest competitions, which will be held at the Bung Karno Indoor Stadium in Jakarta from May 7 to May 16.
The new competition format will allow at least one representative from each of the five continents to participate in a bid by the IBF to promote the world team championships as a truly global event.
As many as 12 teams, as opposed to the previous eight, will now participate in each of the Thomas and Uber Cup,
PBSI chairman Chaerul Tanjung said that Indonesia would have its work cut out to win the Thomas Cup for a sixth consecutive time, while at the same time keeping its sights firmly fixed on the 2004 Olympics in Athens in August.
"Both are priorities as we don't have the luxury of choosing," he told reporters after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the PBSI, the International Badminton Federation (IBF), and TransTV television.
Trans TV will be the official channel for the Thomas and Uber Cup competition.
Chairul stressed Indonesia's overriding interest in both the Thomas Cup and Olympics by saying: "Thomas and Olympics, or die".
National badminton training camp director Christian Hadinata said that the PBSI would focus on producing as many Indonesian qualifiers in Athens as possible.
After rounding off their competition in the Thailand Open, which concluded on Sunday, the shuttlers will be seeking to build up their Olympic points at the Swiss Open from March 2 to March 7, the All England from March 9 to March 14, the Korea Open from March 29 to April 4, and the Asian Championship, the dates and venue for which have yet to be announced.
The Olympic qualifiers will be known by the end of April.
Christian said that playing in the Olympic qualifying matches would also boost their performance so as to prepare them for the Thomas and Uber Cup.
The Indonesian squad came home with only one title in the men's doubles, but Christian considered that the squad, mostly made up of young shuttlers, did well in the tournament, saying that the young athletes were improving their performances all the time.
Meanwhile, IBF board of executive member Punch Gunalan said that the upcoming Thomas and Uber Cup would be a historic milestone for the world of badminton as all five continents would be represented in the competition for the first time.
"History will be created in Indonesia, the land of badminton," said Gunalan, who is also the secretary-general of the Association Badminton Confederation (ABC).
The 12 teams, except for Indonesia as the Thomas Cup defending champion and China as the Uber Cup champion, will secure their places through preliminary continental competitions. Six of the places are allocated to Asia.
The Oceania qualifying event will take place in Ballarat, Australia, from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1. Presov, Slovakia, will host the European qualifiers from Feb. 10 to Feb. 15, while the Pan- American shuttlers will seek qualification in Widley, St. Michael, Barbados, from Feb. 15 to Feb. 22.
Africa will hold its qualifiers in Pretoria, South Africa, from Feb. 23 to Feb. 25, while Asia is scheduled to hold its continental event in Kuala Lumpur from Feb. 16 to Feb. 22.