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)