Soeharto encourages shuttlers
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto yesterday called on Indonesia's Thomas and Uber Cuppers to consider their title defense mission in Hong Kong from May 16 to May 26 a national duty, not as a burden.
"Maintaining what has already been achieved is certainly not an easy task. But this should not be regarded as a burden," Soeharto told 20 members of the country's Thomas and Uber Cups teams at the Merdeka Palace yesterday.
"Burdens may give rise to doubts (which erode our strengths). So you'd better accept this as a duty, as a responsibility both to yourselves and to our country," the President said.
The national shuttlers are scheduled to leave for the championships on Sunday.
Indonesia notched up a memorable double by winning both the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup trophies -- symbols of world badminton team supremacy -- here two years ago.
On May 21, 1994, the Senayan indoor stadium watched Indonesia win the Thomas Cup trophy a record ninth time. The host benched world champion Joko Supriyanto for strategic reasons as it routed title holder Malaysia 3-0 in the final.
The night before at the same venue, then world No. 1 Susi Susanti and company denied China a seventh consecutive title with a nail-bitting 3-2 victory, giving Indonesia its first Uber Cup title in 19 years.
Most recently, however, Indonesian shuttlers have shown an astonishing decline. Badminton queen Susi Susanti has been dethroned by China's Ye Zhaoying from the world No. 1 ranking after a series of defeats. Uber Cup heroine Mia Audina, who determined Indonesia's 3-2 victory over China in the 1994 Uber Cup final, has had her world ranking dropped from 5 to ten after nursing a stubborn lingering knee injury.
Most stunningly, in the All England Championships last March in Birmingham, none of Indonesia's singles players survived to the semifinals. Many believe Indonesian shuttlers cracked under the pressure of the burden that came with their previous victories.
This was confirmed by Mia, her coach Retno Kustiyah and team manager Lutfi Hamid. Mia explained her feelings during her daily stint on Tuesday. Now that she was an "underdog", She felt no "must win" burden. This enabled her to play carefree, she said.
Denmark
Meanwhile, European powerhouse Denmark will parade its best shuttlers for the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup, according to a statement released by the International Badminton Federation on Tuesday.
The Danes will be led by All England champion Poul Erik Hoyer Larsen, veterans Thomas Stuer Lauridsen, Peter Rasmussen in the men's singles and seasoned Camila Martin in the women's singles.
Lotte Romer Larsen of the Badminton Association of Denmark was quoted yesterday by Antara as saying he was confident that his teams stand a good chance of winning both the Thomas and Uber Cups. Lotte admitted, however, that Indonesian teams had a better chance if they met his in either the semifinals or finals.
Lotte said that he considered the Olympic Games in Atlanta this July far more important than the badminton team championships in Hong Kong.
The International Badminton Federation statement shows some unexpectedness: China excludes Yu Lizhi and Hu Zhilan, who are in the third and fourth positions in China's men's singles, from its Thomas Cup team.
Also missing from China's Uber Cup team is Yao Yan, who ranks third in China's women's singles. Following China's footstep is South Korea, whose Thomas Cup team leaves out Kim Hak-kyun. Kim has the third position in his country's men's singles. (arf)