Taufik Hidayat's victory
Taufik Hidayat's victory
Indonesian top shuttler Taufik Hidayat saved Indonesia's face in badminton by winning the Indonesia Open, after outplaying first seed Chen Hong 15-9, 15-9 at the final on Sunday in Batam.
Taufik's victory was very special, not only because he managed to tame the Chinese player, but also because he retained the Indonesia Open title for the fourth time, (1999, 2000 and 2002 and this year).
Speaking to reporters after the tournament, Taufik said he wanted to beat Ardy B Wiranata's record -- former Indonesian champion -- of retaining the same title five times. Taufik's ambition is commendable, an athlete must set targets to improve their performance.
Badminton legend Rudy Hartono, also of Indonesia, always aimed to win the All England. Thus, he consistently did his best to prepare for the world tournament. No wonder, that with this spirit of determination, Rudy won the All England eight times.
In other championships Rudy was also determined, but if his opponent was better then him, he just accepted the loss.
Taufik Hidayat is dubbed a 'naughty' boy due to his outspoken criticism of the national badminton organization (PBSI). Some say he is 'notorious' in his lack of discipline -- he loves clubbing and apparently, has several girlfriends.
Compared to Rudy or Ardy, Taufik is sometimes said to be not a "real athlete". However, Taufik is just a reflection of our society. He is a clear illustration of how the young view sports. This is a new paradigm which PBSI should be aware of.
Taufik will play his best, with dignity, with professionalism; but not for his home town or country. His plan -- to move to Singapore some time ago -- proves this.
-- Warta Kota, Jakarta
;; ANPAk..r.. Otherop--shipyard-business On shipyards JP/6/Ship
On shipyards
The closing of the Van der Giessen De Noord shipyard is a bad business.
Not only is it bad for the 400 people who will lose their jobs, but also bad for the Netherlands: a piece of history and expertise will be lost.
The shipyard ran into financial problems in part because of competition from countries that pay their workers less. That's a market force that the ship building industry can't escape.
Worse is the accusation that other countries - especially other countries in Europe - unfairly subsidize their shipyards.
The European Union should investigate this charge.
-- De Telegraaf, Amsterdam, Netherlands
GetANT 1.20 -- AUG 29, 2003 11:22:21