Top shuttlers to miss World Cup c'ships
Top shuttlers to miss World Cup c'ships
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian shuttlers have already cleared some of their toughest hurdles in the World Cup badminton championships, to be held here from Sept. 13 to 17, because several world best-players will miss the invitational meet.
Rudy Hartono, the international affairs official of the Badminton Association of Indonesia confirmed yesterday that world number two, Park Sung-woo of South Korea, and Denmark's top player, Thomas Stuer Lauridsen, have opted out of the US$180,000 tournament due to injury.
"We have invited all top ranking players, and unfortunately Park and Lauridsen were forced to pull out," Rudy, a former All- England eight-time winner, said.
Park tore his Achilles tendon during a quarterfinal match against Olympic champion Alan Budikusuma in the Indonesia Open two weeks ago. Lauridsen suffered even worse pain, in May, during the World Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland, which forces him out of competition for at least six months.
Rudy said that the organizers will need a recommendation from the International Badminton Federation over possible substitutes for the injured shuttlers.
Host Indonesia will parade 16 players in the 54-field event.
World champion and World Cup title holder Hariyanto Arbi, Indonesia Open winner Ardy Wiranata and Alan line up the men's singles team. Indonesian women's singles squad comprises Susi Susanti, Mia Audina and Yuliani Sentosa.
The annual championships, the 15th since 1981, will pit the world's top 16 singles players both in men's and ladies' events; best eight men's pairs and eight women's tandems; and eight top ranked mixed doubles teams. They will play round-robin matches.
Each country is eligible to field only two singles players, two doubles teams and a mixed doubles pair. "But Indonesia was granted the privilege to come with three men's singles and three ladies' singles due to their outstanding prowess," Rudy said.
Indonesian shuttlers have been dominating the world badminton singles rankings for the past three years.
Singles players will be split into four groups, with each group winner advancing to the semifinals. Doubles players will be divided into two groups, with the top two teams going to the semifinals.
The tournament, organized by the International Management Group, has been brought here four times. The group, which also holds the right to organize another five top-rated badminton tournaments in the world annually, signed yesterday a two-year broadcasting agreement with Indosiar, the country's youngest private television station. (amd)