Indonesia’s best-known badminton club, PB Djarum, has long been known for its contribution to the development of the sport. The club has produced superstars, from Liem Swie King and Hariyanto Arbi to recently retired Liliyana “Butet” Natsir and Kevin Sanjaya Sukomuljo.

The club celebrated on Sunday its 50th anniversary by going back to its roots in Kudus, Central Java.

The club has recorded in a book its beginnings when it used the offices of cigarette company PT Djarum to practice to this day when the club has complete facilities.

Entitled “Dari Kudus Menuju Prestasi Dunia” (From Kudus to World Prestige), the book, written by a team from history magazine Historia, discusses the ups and downs of the club in building what it calls an ecosystem to support badminton in Indonesia. The 277-page book does not forget to mention the achievements of its alumni.

Dozens of its alumni were invited to take part in the nostalgic event. Some names from the first few generations such as Christian Hadinata and Ivana Lie to the nineties squad like Sigit Budiarto, Alan Budikusuma, Zelin Resiana and Haryanto Arbi were there to celebrate.

Christian Hadinata said the value of togetherness among the club’s members was so strong that it was still reflected today with many of the alumni willing to travel to Kudus for the event.

“Hendrawan, who now resides in Malaysia, came here with his family. This shows that the sense of kinship in PB Djarum is strong,” he told journalists.

Former badminton player Susy Susanti applauded the effort shown by PB Djarum in the last 50 years as she saw that the club did not only contribute to nurturing great quality players but created a system in badminton that could attract sponsorship to support its development.

The Sunday event did feel like a reunion for former badminton players who had not seen each other for a long time.

The 1992 Olympic gold medalist Alan Budikusuma said he was happy to meet his old teammates as it brought a feeling of nostalgia, especially on their time in training and living in the dormitory.

“The facilities have changed quite remarkably. With this facility, it is hoped that players can achieve more [than the previous generation],” he said.

Hendrawan, who now coaches Malaysia’s ace Lee Chong Wei, said being able to reach the age of 50 for a badminton club was exceptional as it required dedication from the club’s management.

Based on his experience, he said he did not see many clubs in Malaysia that could sustain themselves for a long time.

Djarum Foundation president director Victor R. Hartono reminded all club members that the sole reason behind the club’s establishment was to unite the country through achievement.

“We are here together [with one mission], to bring glory for the country through sport,” he said.

The name Djarum, however, has often been misperceived by some as an intentional effort to promote the brand Djarum clove. Responding to this, Yoppy Rosimin, program director of the Djarum Foundation, said Djarum had never associated cigarettes and badminton, as he explained that Djarum as a cigarette brand and Djarum as a badminton club were two different things.

“All the things contained in the club are fully about Djarum as a badminton club. We never blend cigarettes with badminton,” he told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the book launch.

Recently, the Indonesian Child Protection Commission confronted Djarum, saying that its talent scouting program constituted child exploitation, as children were used to market the cigarette brand.

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