RI's top shuttlers plan no tours before Atlanta
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)