Thomas, Uber Cup squads to be decided fairly

Thomas, Uber Cup squads to be decided fairly

Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) promised on Tuesday
a fair and transparent selection of players for the 2002 Thomas
Cup world men's team championship and its women's category Uber
Cup.

"We have placed most of the shuttlers joining the Indonesian
Badminton Center (PBI) into the provisional lineup, which
includes several junior players," PBSI secretary-general Lutfi
Hamid told reporters.

"We will evaluate them based on to their training progress. If
the juniors can beat their seniors, they will surely deserve
places in the team."

Lutfi was trying to play down a move by PBSI to name several
former national players in the provisional lineup for the Thomas
and Uber Cups.

On Wednesday, PBSI announced the skeleton of the national
teams for both the Thomas and Uber Cups, which consisted of 20
men shuttlers and 18 women.

To everyone's surprise, former national players Ellen Angelina
and Yuli Marfuah in the women's side, and Taufik Hidayat and Tony
Gunawan in the men's division, were among candidates for the
team. The four have left the badminton center.

Ellen asked PBSI to pick her coach, Liang Chiu Sia, who is a
former national coach, into the team, and PBSI agreed
immediately.

The Uber Cup roster boasted senior players Deyana Lomban, Emma
Ermawati, Lidya Djaelawijaya, Minarti Timur and Vita Marissa,
Accompanying them were second stringers Atu Rosalina, Chindana
Hartono, Dewi Tira, Dian Novita Sari and juniors Eny Erlangga, Jo
Novita, Rossi Riani, Diah Novita, Eny Widowati, Endang
Nursugianti and Lita Nurlita.

Jacob Rusdianto has been appointed Uber Cup team manager with
Ivana Lie his deputy. Meanwhile, PBSI's training director
Christian Hadinata will be the Thomas Cup team manager.

World champions Hendrawan and Candra Wijaya will spearhead the
Thomas Cup team, together with Bambang Supriyanto, Halim
Haryanto, Marlev Mainaky, Sigit Budiarto and Tri Kusheryanto.

Also in the team are second stringers Budi Santoso, Johan
Hadikusuma, Rony Agustinus, Nova Widhoanto, Endra Mulyajaya,
Luluk Hadiyanto, Wahyu Agung and juniors Alvent Yulianto,
Ardiansyah, Hendra A Gunawan and Sony Dwi Kuncoro.

"PBSI wants to recruit all the good shuttlers by inviting
former national shuttlers into the shadow team," said Lutfi, who
also acts as the project manager.

"All shuttlers have an equal opportunity to be in the main
team. It will be decided on court by themselves."

Lutfi said PBSI was concentrating now on preparations for the
Uber Cup semifinals round, to take place from Feb. 20 until Feb.
24 in Melbourne, Australia.

"We must admit that our women shuttlers are not as strong as
their predecessors several years ago, not to mention that most of
the seniors have been struck by injury," he said.

"Our current concentration doesn't mean we have forgotten the
Thomas Cup team as we still have time for better preparation."

The last time Indonesia held the Uber Cup was in 1996 after
defeating China in Hong Kong but China captured the cup in 1998,
also in Hong Kong.

Indonesia is the current defending champion in the Thomas Cup
and has an automatic place in the finals round in Guangzhou,
China next May.