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)