Editorial: We are the losers

Wed, 05/21/2008 10:44 AM | Opinion

Indonesia must wait two more years to make its dream of reclaiming the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup come true. The finals of the men's and women's team badminton championships concluded Sunday night, with the Chinese team the last one standing in both events.

China's head coach Li Yongbo proved once again that his boys and girls are unbeatable on the court. The defending champion defeated South Korea 3-1 in the final of the men's Thomas Cup. The victory gave China its sixth title -- from 1986 to 1990 and from 2004 to 2008. The figure is about half of Indonesia's record of 11 wins. However, if Indonesia does nothing to revamp its badminton squad, another title will remain just a dream. Indonesia's Thomas Cup performance was disappointing, with the shuttlers unexpectedly succumbing to South Korea in the semifinals.

During the women's Uber Cup final, China was much more powerful than Indonesia, whitewashing the host 3-0 to win the cup for the sixth time in a row and the 11th time since the competition was first held in 1957.

Despite the defeat, the finals appearance surprised local fans, considering the Indonesian team failed to even qualify for the final round two years ago. The finals appearance also surpassed the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI)'s original expectation of a semifinals finish.

China's double victory raises an important question. What can we learn from China?

As the most populous country in the world, China has an abundant talent pool. It never lacks new talent as the standardized coaching system at the provincial level manages to supply young players to the national training camp. That the government guarantees the athletes' welfare after their heyday is another motivation for them.

With a 230 million population, Indonesia should not worry about lacking talented players. But turning them from zeros to heroes matters most. A few national coaches have complained the young players' lack technical skill and physical fitness because of the country's non-standardized coaching system. The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) plans to publish a book on the national coaching system, but it's still in the pipeline.

We also lack interschool and interclub domestic competitions. There are some, but the vast distances from one point to another in Indonesia has made it impossible for many to join the competitions.

Financial constraints is often heard, but it is a fact when talking about sports development. The country's struggling economy has deterred private sector companies from sponsoring sports in the long term.

These are the external factors influencing the development of sports in the country, especially badminton. Badminton is Indonesia's best hope for Olympic gold. Since Susy Susanti and Alan Budikusuma were victorious at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, this sport has continuously presented one gold at the quadrennial event. Of course, we don't want to miss the chance this year, especially with the country celebrating the centennial of the National Awakening movement.

How do we overhaul the existing national training camp?

As an inspiration, PBSI officials, coaches and players could learn from the movie We are Marshall -- based on the true story of the Marshall University football team in the aftermath of a tragic plane crash -- about how to "rise from the ashes to grab glory".

Technical skills, program designs and training management can be learned. But boosting the players' motivation and fighting spirit is the hard part. That's the weakness of our players.

The presence of Susy and former Uber Cup team member Elizabeth Latief as team managers brought some changes for the girls. Their motivation was boosted, they feared no enemies. It is a good sign for the future so long as PBSI can keep the team intact.

Meanwhile, local badminton fans suffered from ticket mishaps at the event. Many of them were stranded outside the stadium in the scorching heat with no more tickets available. The organizers were unorganized at issuing tickets. Scalpers around the stadium charged fans triple or more the original price. Indonesia still needs to learn how to manage an international event like this properly, even though it has hosted several such events over the years.

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