Subagyo denies young shuttlers boycott PBSI
Subagyo denies young shuttlers boycott PBSI
JAKARTA (JP): The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI)
loses its self-esteem? It sounds impossible but it happened
Monday. Twenty eight young athletes boycotted the official four-
day selection trial for promotion and expulsion.
Only two shuttlers, men's singles Ronny Agustinus and Johan
Hadikusuma, showed up at the three courts prepared for the event,
which was scheduled to start at 01.00 p.m. The referees waited
until 4.30 p.m. before declaring the shuttlers as winners.
Ronny told reporters that he had no idea of the plan to
boycott the selection.
"I heard that there was a meeting on Saturday, which I skipped
after training, and I knew nothing of a petition to boycott the
selection," he said. "I also had no idea of their motivation. I
came here because my coach told me to."
Other shuttlers including junior Arief Rosidi and Doni
Prasetyo were tight-lipped with reporters. They just stayed in
their room while others left the dormitory in the Indonesian
Badminton Center in Cipayung, East Jakarta.
After chairing the meeting with the Thomas and Uber Cups and
Olympic teams, PBSI chairman, Subagyo Hadisiswoyo, said that it
was not a boycott.
"The shuttlers did not understand clearly the explanation
given by the official in charge of athletes development,
Mangombar Ferdinand Siregar. There are three groups to attend the
selection. A 19-member team, consisting of new players, will have
its own selection to decide on their ranking."
"Another 19-member team, comprising older shuttlers with poor
international achievements, will have their selection to
determine the shuttlers among them with the most potential. The
selected ones will stay here."
"While the expelled ones will be replaced by winners of the
1999 junior circuits."
But a reliable source in the center said that the shuttlers
were dissatisfied with the system. The juniors were promised to
have one year of training and a one-year competition period.
Siregar said: "If the juniors have poor form in local
circuits, what can we do for them? We gave them two years time
but it's a part of the evaluation process."
Subagyo said if the juniors team declined to join the
selection Tuesday to Thursday, PBSI would not hesitate to dismiss
them from the center.
He also said that the selection must be done because four PBSI
chapters have yet to be prepared to stage decentralized training
programs as planned earlier.
"Due to limited facilities and funds in our chapters, we
decided not to delay the decentralized training plan and change
it with the selection."
Speaking on PBSI's action to the International Badminton
Federation (IBF) letter asking Indonesia to field Mia Audina,
world ranked 11, in the Olympics, Subagyo said Mia had moved to
the Netherlands and plays for her new country.
"I allowed her to follow her husband to the Netherlands and
play for the new country. It's her business with the Badminton
Association of the Netherlands. It has nothing to do with us
anymore."
The IBF's letter asked Indonesia to include Mia on the
national team if the International Olympic Committee turned down
the request of the Netherlands to allow her to represent them
country in the Olympics.
"She has not sent us a personal letter asking us to include
her in our team," Subagyo said.
PBSI secretary general, Leo Chandra Wiranata, said the IBF and
IOC rules state that a player could perform for his or her new
country after staying in that country for two and three years
respectively. (yan)