Try wants badminton body led by the right person

Try wants badminton body led by the right person

JAKARTA (JP): Vice President Try Sutrisno told the 17th
badminton national congress participants yesterday to elect the
best possible person to chair the Badminton Association of
Indonesia for the 1997-2001 period.

"The officials must be able to work at the highest level and
be truly committed to badminton," Try said in his opening speech
yesterday.

Try said the association must develop its approach to the
science and technology of the sport to face the challenges of the
future.

The association must also be aware of how badminton is
developing in Europe, East and Central Asia.

"The development of our athletes must be managed using modern
methods and be perfect," said the 1989-1993 chairman.

Try said the development must also link in with national,
regional and international competitions.

"The association has to use local competitions as talent
scouting opportunities to find more qualified players to be
groomed at the national badminton center," he said.

Businessman Aburizal Bakrie said yesterday he did not want to
be elected to any association position involving daily
responsibilities.

"I don't have time to manage the association due to my
activities in the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry,"
said the chamber's chairman during a break yesterday.

"If I were elected the deputy chairman of the patrons' board
or the executive director of the Badminton Foundation, I would be
willing to contribute my ideas toward badminton development," he
said.

Some badminton observers have suggested a combination of
Aburizal and the main candidate Subagyo Hadi Siswoyo, the Army's
deputy chief of staff, as joint chairmen of the association.

Aburizal, who is also a member of the patrons' board, said
that the Badminton Foundation had assets of Rp 12 billion (US$3.3
million) budget while the association had to manage an annual
budget of Rp 2.4 billion.

"Ideally, the association's spending is about Rp 3.5 billion,
including grooming the athletes and sending them to national and
international competitions," he said, as quoted by Antara.

Aburizal said the association must be more selective in
spending its money. "If it sends our athletes abroad, the number
of athletes must be more than the officials."

"The association must select one or two officials who can
lobby and a treasurer who can manage the association's budget,"
he said.

Representatives from 24 of the association's provincial
branches attended the congress, which started yesterday and ends
tomorrow. Only Maluku, West Nusa Tenggara and East Timor did not
attend. (alx/yan)