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pproaching its 60th anniversary this month, the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI), under a newly-appointed head of athlete development, revealed aspirations of increasing the standing of its national squad to fourth in the world rankings to help pave the way for medals at next year’s London Olympics.

“We are hopeful that by the end of this year our shuttlers will be able to get in the world’s top 10 and by June next year be a part of the world’s top four.

“Thus, it will be easier to pave the way for medals,” Hadi Nasri, head of the PBSI’s athlete development division, said at a media gathering at the national badminton training camp in Cipayung on Monday. The PBSI will celebrate its 60th anniversary on May 5.

The target is ambitious, as PBSI chairman Djoko Santoso reiterated Indonesia’s less than stellar achievements in international badminton competitions in recent years.

As of today, Indonesia has only men’s singles veteran shuttler Taufik Hidayat firmly as third in the world on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) chart. The almost-30-year-old Athens Olympics gold-medalist is not under the PBSI, as he has been playing professionally the past couples of years.

The first layer of the shuttlers under PBSI are still dealing with various injuries including Simon Santoso, who is ninth in the world at the moment, and Sony Dwi Kuncoro, who slumped to 37 in the BWF. Second-layer compatriot Hayom Rumbaka, currently 22nd in the world, is still hopeful to rise within the next 13 months before the London Games.

In men’s doubles, the prospects are a bit better. Although recently world number three duo Markis Kido and his ailing partner, Hendra Setiawan, dropped to world number six, other Indonesian men’s duos remain in the world’s top 10: Alvent Yulianto Chandra and Hendra Aprida Gunawan (ninth) and M Ahsan and Bona Septano (eighth).

At the most recent Super Series championship in India that ended on Sunday, youngbloods Angga Pratama and Rian Agung Saputra managed their way to the final of the high-level championship, but were felled by their fourth-seeded Japanese opponents. The young duo has a steep slope to climb towards the top 10, though, as they stand at 43rd in the BWF.   

In the mixed doubles, professional pair Hendra A. Gunawan and Vita Marissa are the only Indonesians in the world’s top 10, and women’s doubles pair Greysia Polii and Meiliana Jauhary hold the same respective distinction. Darker still is in the women’s singles, as the country’s best, Adriyanti Firdasari, is 29th of the world’s top 30.  

Nonetheless, Hadi expressed hope that within the next 13 months the PBSI would support the athletes in qualifying for the Olympics.

Besides hiring Chinese coach Li Mao to lead an improved performance among the singles shuttlers, as many as 40 international tournaments, including 24 prestigious ones, will be attended by the elite squad members to collect as many points as possible for London.

The approaching Sudirman Cup on May 22-29 in Qing Dao, China, the BWF World Championship in London on August 8-14 and the Southeast Asian Games this November will serve as prime proving grounds in qualifying for the London Olympics.