Editorial: Long search for a new King

The Jakarta Post   |  Wed, 06/24/2009 10:23 AM  |  Opinion

Our badminton players failed to put an end to their six month title drought before the loyal home crowd last week. The Indonesia Open, which concluded Sunday, surely marked the poorest performance of the nation once billed as the world’s strongest badminton powerhouse.

To add insult to injury, the only Indonesian shuttler to reach the championship match, Taufik Hidayat, is no longer part of the national training center in Cipayung, East Jakarta.

Of the six Super Series tournaments it has competed in this year, Indonesia has managed to bag just one title, brought home by mixed doubles pair Nova Widianto and Liliyana Natsir from the season opening Malaysia Open in January.

Chairman of the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI), Djoko Santoso, has promised to take comprehensive measures to help the national players regain their former shape. Djoko, who is also an Indonesian Military (TNI) general, says the shuttlers need to improve their health, mental and playing standards in order to survive the tougher competition.

The same problems were identified after Indonesia returned home empty handed from the Sudirman Cup mixed team championship in May, not to mentions this year’s other tournaments. It seems Indonesian players have been unable to overcome challenges they have faced for years.

Although Indonesians have consistently won at least one gold medal at the Olympics since 1992, Indonesian badminton players have failed to advance to the final in the last three Thomas Cup men’s team championships, a tournament they have won a record 13 times.

The All England, the world’s most prestigious badminton tournament, has not seen any Indonesians claim a singles trophy since Hariyanto Arbi and Susi Susanti were victorious in their respective divisions in 1994. Tony Gunawan is the last Indonesian to have taken out the All England laurels, winning the men’s doubles with his US partner Howard Bach in 2005.

With Indonesia crumbling, China has retained its superpower status as other South Korea and Malaysia continue to offer strong opposition. Judging from the progress they have made, the two may, sooner or later, emerge as the teams to beat.

Some of the nation’s former badminton greats have voiced their concern over the government’s lack of support for our national players, particularly after they hang up their rackets. The fact that a badminton heroine like Tati Sumirah, who helped Indonesia lift the first ever Uber Cup women’s team title in 1975, now works as a cashier at a drugstore to make ends meet in her post-career life has deterred parents from encouraging their children to devote their lives to badminton. Even a former All England champion admits to persuading his children to focus on their studies rather than badminton.

Athletes and former athletes from other sports face the same life security problem. But badminton, the only sport Indonesia can rely on to win Olympic gold medals, is too precious an asset to die, as there are abundant talented players who should not be overlooked by the PBSI.

Perhaps it is due to the public’s mourning of the loss of badminton’s former glory days that a movie inspired by the life of living legend Liem Swie King, known for his “King jumping smash”, has been made; it is set to premier Thursday. Badminton enthusiasts are waiting not only for the movie, but for the PBSI to take action to restore the country’s pride. They expect the PBSI to do more to mold future Kings.

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