RI's top shuttlers plan no tours before Atlanta

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's top badminton players will skip all tournaments before the Atlanta Olympic Games after their successful defense of their titles in the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup, an official said yesterday.

The Badminton Association of Indonesia's secretary-general RAJ Gosal said yesterday that all his Olympic hopefuls will gear up for the Summer Games at their base camp in Cipayung, East Jakarta.

"We only have 29 effective days from now until the Olympics. It's not that long," Gosal said.

The biggest tournament prior to the Summer Games will be the Asia Cup, scheduled for Seoul in the second week of June and the Indonesia Open late in the same month.

Gosal said that Indonesia will field a second-string team made up of three men's and three women's singles players, two men's and two women's doubles teams and two mixed doubles pairs in the US$130,000 Asia Cup. Second stringers will also don the national colors in the Indonesia Open.

Gosal said that China and Malaysia are unlikely to field their key players in the tournament for the same reason.

Indonesia is keen on putting two Olympic gold medals in its cabinet which is now adorned with both the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup trophies.

Most of Indonesia's triumphant Thomas and Uber Cuppers have qualified for the Olympics.

The association gave the jubilant shuttlers four days of rest after returning home on Tuesday. "All shuttlers must check in at Cipayung on Monday," Gosal said.

Thousands of enthusiastic Jakartans lined up along the road from Soekarno-Hatta airport to the City Hall to welcome their badminton idols with banners and red-and-white flags on Tuesday.

Indonesia's badminton officials will gather tomorrow for an evaluation meeting to discuss the fresh Thomas and Uber Cup victories and preparations for the upcoming Olympics.

Gosal also made it sure yesterday that several business tycoons and companies, such as Anton Sulaiman, Lippo Group president James Riady and Djarum cigarette company, have confirmed their cash bonuses commitments for the winning Thomas Cup and Uber Cup teams.

"I don't know the exact amount but there will be more than two years ago," Gosal said. Two years ago, each shuttler received between Rp 45 million (US$19,600) to Rp 50 million after winning both cups here. (yan)