Shuttler Taufik criticizes PBSI over sponsorship deal

Shuttler Taufik criticizes PBSI over sponsorship deal

JAKARTA (JP): Rising badminton star Taufik Hidayat has
criticized the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) for
skimming off 50 percent of a sponsorship deal he recently signed
with a Japan-based electronic company.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a media conference
on Friday Taufik said the association's cut was too much. He
claimed the association was "doing nothing to get sponsorship
deals".

"I got the contract in cooperation with International
Management Group (IMG). PBSI didn't do anything to help. Now,
just when I'm about to get the money, they take 50 percent of
it," he said.

"If PBSI got the deal in the first place, I wouldn't have
minded them taking 50 percent or more. But for an individual
sponsorship deal, 50 percent is too much. I think the ideal
figure is only 25 percent."

Taufik was appointed by JVC Asia Pte Ltd for advertising and
promotional purposes in Asia for an unknown fee. However, IMG
representative James White said "it is a satisfactory figure for
the three parties of JVC, PBSI and Taufik."

PBSI secretary general Leo Chandra Wiranata, who also attended
the conference, said that the association suffered a Rp 6 billion
(US$706,000) deficit this year due to lower interest earned on
money deposited in banks.

"This year we have to spend Rp 11 billion to send athletes
abroad for international tournaments and to finance the
Indonesian Badminton Center in Cipayung, East Jakarta. About Rp 5
billion was taken from bank interest while Rp 6 billion had to be
taken from the deposit itself."

"We are trying to seek more collective sponsorships deals
worth $300,000 per year. We are still negotiating with an airline
company."

"These considerations are the basic reason why we are taking
50 percent of our athletes' individual sponsorship deals starting
from now. We are lacking in new deals."

Leo hoped that many companies, including JVC, would negotiate
collective sponsorship deals with PBSI.

PBSI enjoys a $1.1 million annual contract with Japan-based
Yonex sport equipment manufacturer. Fifty percent of this amount
goes to players while the rest is for PBSI and its provincial
chapters nationwide.

Leo said shuttlers should invite PBSI in on their individual
sponsorship deals because the association did not want them to be
treated unfairly by sponsors.

"In our past experiences, many athletes have had to swallow
their disappointment as they didn't understand at all how to deal
with sponsors. We want to protect them from that possibility
occurring again," he said.

JVC and IMG also announced that starting this year, all JVC
Asian Badminton Rankings champions would each receive $1,000. The
champions will be determined two weeks prior to the JVC Asian
Badminton Championships at the Senayan Tennis Indoor Stadium from
Nov. 1 to Nov. 5. (yan)