Rudy plans badminton clinics

Rudy plans badminton clinics

NUSA DUA, Bali (JP): Former eight-time All England winner Rudy
Hartono plans to establish badminton clinics throughout the
country's 27 provinces.

"I hope by establishing the schools, I can help develop
badminton in the country," Rudy told reporters yesterday.

Rudy, who will be financially assisted by PT Unilever
Indonesia, said that badminton must be taught in elementary and
junior high schools.

"It's one thing to find talented players in schools. But we
can't expect the government to help us financially," he said.

Rudy, who is also an official of the Badminton Association of
Indonesia, sees Indonesia's decreasing badminton standards as a
worrying trend for the future.

"If we want to be at the top constantly, this is a solution,"
he said.

In March, Rudy hopes to be able to realize his plans in
cooperation with some schools in Jakarta.

"For the moment, we'll only work with schools which have
badminton courts. But later we'll provide the courts, not only
for a certain school but also for others in the area," said the
official of the Badminton Association of Indonesia.

The clinics are also in cooperation with the Ministry of
Education and Culture and local administrations. The
administrations, including West Java, have agreed to provide land
for the schools' construction.

Some real estate developers in greater Jakarta have also
approved the plans by providing the facilities in their housing
complexes.

"I bet not all elementary students can play badminton. That's
what I intend to achieve. Every Indonesian must be able to play
badminton," he said. (yan)