Tennis indoor stadium not appropriate for ABC c'ships: Leo
Tennis indoor stadium not appropriate for ABC c'ships: Leo
JAKARTA (JP): The recent success of the US$150,000 Sanyo
Indonesia Open at the Senayan Tennis Indoor Stadium has
apparently concerned Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI)
secretary-general Leo Chandra Wiranata.
He considers the venue inappropriate to host the JVC Asian
Badminton Championships in November.
"You saw how crowded the venue was during the final,
especially during the men's singles when Taufik Hidayat faced Ong
Ewe Hock of Malaysia. Can you imagine what would have happened if
Taufik lost?" he said on Wednesday.
"The spectators were too close to the courts and it could have
endangered the safety of the players."
About 4,500 people thronged the stadium on Sunday, passing the
maximum capacity of 4,000.
Ong complained on Saturday that some spectators threw mineral
water bottles at him when he defeated local opponent Johan
Hadikusuma in the semifinals.
Leo said the most appropriate venue was either the Senayan
Indoor Stadium or the Jakarta Convention Center.
"We can set up the stadium as we did for the Thomas Cup final
championships in 1990 and 1994 but it will cost a lot, especially
nowadays with sponsors being hard to get."
"The most ideal place is the convention center which has an
underground tunnel to the nearby Hilton Hotel. But definitely, it
will cost a fortune as the rent fee is much higher than the
stadium."
The venue was decided in the Asian Badminton Confederation
executive council meeting. Leo said if the event was staged
outside Jakarta, only three cities -- Surabaya, Semarang and
Surakarta -- had the facilities to do so.
Leo said PBSI and IMG, who hold the event rights, must
consider Indonesia's reputation as host.
"We should take care in our image, especially if Chinese
players are competing in the event."
Indonesia will not only stage the championships but also host
the annual general meeting and the referees certification.
Leo also said there was a possibility that men's singles
Hendrawan, men's doubles Candra Wijaya and Tony Gunawan and
women's doubles Elysa Nathanael and Deyana Lomban would withdraw
from the five-star Malaysia Open next month.
"If we want to send athletes, they must be ranked 12 or 13 in
the world in order to enable them to get into the best eight to
secure a drawing for the Olympic Games."
PBSI plans to send 31 athletes to the championships. (yan)
JAKARTA (JP): The recent success of the US$150,000 Sanyo
Indonesia Open at the Senayan Tennis Indoor Stadium has
apparently concerned Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI)
secretary-general Leo Chandra Wiranata.
He considers the venue inappropriate to host the JVC Asian
Badminton Championships in November.
"You saw how crowded the venue was during the final,
especially during the men's singles when Taufik Hidayat faced Ong
Ewe Hock of Malaysia. Can you imagine what would have happened if
Taufik lost?" he said on Wednesday.
"The spectators were too close to the courts and it could have
endangered the safety of the players."
About 4,500 people thronged the stadium on Sunday, passing the
maximum capacity of 4,000.
Ong complained on Saturday that some spectators threw mineral
water bottles at him when he defeated local opponent Johan
Hadikusuma in the semifinals.
Leo said the most appropriate venue was either the Senayan
Indoor Stadium or the Jakarta Convention Center.
"We can set up the stadium as we did for the Thomas Cup final
championships in 1990 and 1994 but it will cost a lot, especially
nowadays with sponsors being hard to get."
"The most ideal place is the convention center which has an
underground tunnel to the nearby Hilton Hotel. But definitely, it
will cost a fortune as the rent fee is much higher than the
stadium."
The venue was decided in the Asian Badminton Confederation
executive council meeting. Leo said if the event was staged
outside Jakarta, only three cities -- Surabaya, Semarang and
Surakarta -- had the facilities to do so.
Leo said PBSI and IMG, who hold the event rights, must
consider Indonesia's reputation as host.
"We should take care in our image, especially if Chinese
players are competing in the event."
Indonesia will not only stage the championships but also host
the annual general meeting and the referees certification.
Leo also said there was a possibility that men's singles
Hendrawan, men's doubles Candra Wijaya and Tony Gunawan and
women's doubles Elysa Nathanael and Deyana Lomban would withdraw
from the five-star Malaysia Open next month.
"If we want to send athletes, they must be ranked 12 or 13 in
the world in order to enable them to get into the best eight to
secure a drawing for the Olympic Games."
PBSI plans to send 31 athletes to the championships. (yan)