Sudirman Cup a tribute to Indonesia's badminton figure
By Primastuti Handayani
JAKARTA (JP): Ten years ago at Jakarta's Senayan Indoor Stadium, Indonesia confirmed its position at the zenith of world badminton by winning the inaugural Sudirman Cup mixed team event.
Playing before a partisan crowd, the mixed doubles partnership of Verawaty Fajrin and Eddy Hartono upset Park Joo-bong and Chung Myung-hee of South Korea to secure a memorable 3-2 victory for the host nation.
The South Koreans, top seeds and hot favorites, had taken a commanding 2-0 lead through their men's and women's doubles teams, before a young Susi Susanti began Indonesia's spirited fightback with a victory in the nerve-wracking women's singles match. Susi's victory gave a boost to Edy Kurniawan, who then won the men's singles to level the match.
But the champagne was kept on ice for the next five events, with Indonesia starved of a second victory in the cup they won in such stirring fashion in its inaugural event.
The Sudirman Cup may be less popular than the men's Thomas Cup and the woman's Uber Cup, but Indonesia takes a special pride in winning the trophy named after a national badminton hero.
But who was Sudirman?
Born in Pematang Siantar, North Sumatra, on April 29, 1922, Sudirman was a pharmaceutical entrepreneur who became renowned for his dedication to badminton.
"My involvement in badminton is a mission while my work in pharmacy is a mere hobby," he once said.
Sudirman chaired the Badminton Association of Indonesia from 1952 to 1963 and from 1968 to 1981. During his tenure, Indonesia reached the headiest heights of the sport time and time again.
Indonesia won the Thomas Cup for the first time in 1958 and regained it in 1975. Two years later Indonesia also clinched its first Uber Cup trophy.
Under Sudirman, Indonesia emerged as the world's strongest men's team, a team comprised of the magnificent seven of Rudy Hartono, Liem Swie King, Iie Sumirat, Christian Hadinata, Ade Chandra, Tjun Tjun and Johan Wahyudi.
Rudy, badminton's living legend, won a record eight All England titles, seven of them in successive years from 1968 to 1974. He last took the tournament's singles crown in 1976.
Sudirman was named a member of the International Badminton Federation's executive board in 1973 and went on to serve as the organization's deputy chairman under Stellan Mohlin two years later.
It was Sudirman, along with Mohlin and another leading Indonesian figure in the badminton world, Suharso Suhandinata, who campaigned for a reconciliation of the two badminton federations, the IBF and the Chinese-led World Badminton Federation. The two bodies were reunited in 1980 and retained the name of the IBF.
Sudirman retired from the IBF in 1983 and died on June 10, 1986.
Shortly after his death, he was awarded an IBF Distinguished Service Award and the golden star for his devotion to badminton.
The accolades did not stop there, and to mark his contribution to the development of the sport it was eventually decided to name a mixed team cup in his honor. A number of European countries lobbied to have the trophy named after Herbert Scheele, a former IBF president, but eventually Indonesia prevailed and Sudirman received the posthumous honor many thought fitting to his contribution to the sport.
The Sudirman Cup, which cost Rp 27 million (then worth approximately US$13,500) was crafted by Rusnandi, a student at Bandung Institute of Technology. The design features a replica of Borobudur temple atop the body of a shuttlecock.