TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Mascot dance eases tension at games
Animal instinct: Performers dressed as mascots from participating countries entertain spectators during the BCA Indonesia Open 2014 on Saturday
Change Size
Animal instinct: Performers dressed as mascots from participating countries entertain spectators during the BCA Indonesia Open 2014 on Saturday. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama) (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
A
span class="inline inline-none">Animal instinct: Performers dressed as mascots from participating countries entertain spectators during the BCA Indonesia Open 2014 on Saturday. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
Bio, a golden Garuda dressed like a wayang (shadow puppet), danced while spectators cheered and clapped tube balloons every time an Indonesian pair of shuttlers scored, while a white tiger named Suju patted his head sadly due to the defense failure by the South Korean team.
Spectators avidly watched the antics of performers in mascot suits representing six participating countries, out of 28, at the BCA Indonesia Open 2014 at the Istora Senayan, Jakarta.
The event committee ruled that two mascots could represent two countries in games involving the countries in order to cheer spectators.
The performances were held on an empty court beside the main court. The mascots not only danced but also comically interacted with each other.
During a men's doubles semifinal match, Bio as the host's mascot broke into dance when either Mohammad Ahsan or Hendra Setiawan scored. He playfully kicked Suju's bottom whenever the Korean team lost a score.
Deputy tournament manager Mimi Irawan said that this year was the second time a side show had been staged for spectators.
She was convinced that the mascot performance would ease spectators' stress and tension during the game, especially when their team lost.
'We decided to use them again as variation for the game. Court number four had been empty since the quarterfinals because the number of games was decreasing. So we deployed the mascots to entertain spectators,' she told The Jakarta Post.
Mimi said there were six mascots for this year's tournament, although she did not remember all of them. She said besides Bio and Suju, there was a tiger mascot named Loreng that represented Malaysia, while Lung-Lung, a red and yellow dragon represented China.
Bio, the blue and gold Indonesian mascot, replaced the old Dio, a gold and red Garuda that was the mascot at the 2013 Djarum Indonesia Open Super Series Premier. The name 'Dio' stood for Djarum Indonesia Open.
Since this year's Indonesia Open was a joint-collaboration between Bank Central Asia (BCA) and the Djarum Foundation, the committee decided to add blue to the mascot and changed its name to Bio, which stands for BCA Indonesia Open.
'However, we did not have enough time to create mini versions of the six mascots, so the official vendors at the tournament do not sell them,' Mimi added.
Mimi said all the mascots would perform again at the exhibition before the final round began at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday. The exhibition will also include a 15-minute game played by various local and international legends of badminton, especially Susi Susanti.
'There should also be mascots attending the meet-and-greet sessions with shuttlers from the countries they represent, but it depends on the situation,' she said. (gda)
