Thomas event gets Rp 1.2b in profit

Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta

The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) reaped approximately Rp 1.2 billion (US$136,000) in profits from hosting the Thomas and Uber Cups competitions in Jakarta a few weeks ago, according to an official.

Chief of the organizing committee Sulistyanto, who is also a PBSI chief in charge of foreign affairs, said that the profit figures were from ticket sales.

"We got approximately Rp 400 million from the semifinal matches on May 14 alone," he said after meeting with the National Sports Council (KONI) here on Monday.

The May 14 semifinals featured a match between Indonesia and Denmark, which the Danes won.

Sulistyanto said the intake could have been higher if Indonesia had advanced to the final.

"Unfortunately, we did not make the final," he said, adding that the organizers had targeted Rp 1.8 billion based on calculations that the Indonesian men would play in the final and their female compatriots in the semifinals.

In fact, the women crashed out to South Korea in the quarterfinals.

The tickets for the preliminary matches were sold at Rp 50,000 a piece while the prices for semifinals and final were Rp 150,000.

Sulistyanto explained that the budget for holding the event had been expected at $603,000, but the cost was incurred by the sponsors, which provided necessary equipment for the event, and the International Badminton Federation's financial assistance budget.

Despite the profit, the Indonesian players should not expect any bonuses as they failed to meet their target of retaining the Thomas Cup for the men and advancing to the semifinals for the women. China won both trophies.

KONI's general secretary Djohar Arifin said that people should not start pointing fingers to blame others for the failure.

"We'd better now get more focused on the upcoming Olympic Games in Athens. We have to maintain our gold (medal) tradition in badminton," he said.

Indonesia has secured 36 places in 12 sports for the world's biggest sporting showcase.

Meanwhile, hopes for another Olympic qualifier -- in women's track cycling -- were dealt a blow after Uyun Muzizah and Santia Tri Kusuma flopped in their bids at the World Track Championships in Melbourne, Australia, which ended on Sunday.

Uyun, who competed in the 3000-meter race, finished 20th (top 10 qualify), while Santia was 12th (top four qualify) in the points race competition.