Thomas Cup win a morale booster for Indonesians
JAKARTA (JP): The achievement of Indonesia's Thomas Cup men's badminton team came just in time to give the struggling nation a much needed lift, former badminton great Icuk Sugiarto said yesterday.
Icuk said the shuttlers' win was beyond his expectations, particularly due to the added tension the players had to endure while competing.
"Hence, our victory this time around is more meaningful than our successes in the past. Not only did the team enter the tournament as an underdog, but what was happening in the country while they were abroad had scared them," the former world champion said.
The country has been crippled by a wave of student rallies, riots and looting and Soeharto's resignation since the players headed to Hong Kong to defend their trophies.
Political turbulence at home prompted team manager Maj. Gen. Agus Wirahadikusumah to enforce strict security measures at the hotel where the players stayed. He also asked for assurances that players' families were safe.
Indonesia won its third successive Thomas Cup since 1994 and all-time record 11th title by beating archrival Malaysia 3-2 Sunday. A fortnight ago, Indonesia lost the Uber Cup women's championship to China after a 1-4 defeat.
Icuk said the Thomas Cup victory came as a surprise for him from a technical point of view.
"Unlike in 1996, we did not see any real chance because we lacked star singles players this year," Icuk said. Injury-plagued Hariyanto Arbi and old-timer Joko Suprianto led the Indonesian Thomas Cup squad, which also included debutantes Hendrawan, Marleve Mainaky and Indra Wijaya.
With the 13th Asian Games (Asiad) approaching, the lack of top singles players caused Icuk deep concern. He said Indonesia could not hope for Hariyanto to win a medal in the Games if he failed to settle his psychological vulnerability.
Mohammad Hindarto, the National Sports Council official in charge of the training program for Asiad, shared Icuk's worries. He said the Badminton Association of Indonesia needed to jack up the players' physical fitness.
"I only saw them playing on TV but I guess they were physically not in good shape. They do need more exercise," Hindarto said.
He also underlined the need to give young players more exposure by sending them to as many international competitions as possible.
The badminton squad arrived here late yesterday on national flag carrier Garuda Airways flight number GA 850. They are scheduled to pay a courtesy visit to the newly inaugurated President B.J. Habibie at Merdeka Palace today.
After the meeting, the team will parade the Thomas Cup trophy in a procession starting from the sports council office in Senayan to City Hall on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan, Central Jakarta. They will pass Jl. Sudirman and Jl. M.H. Thamrin en route to City Hall. (emf)