Badminton Heroes Offer Help After Lackluster Performance at 2017 SEA Games
Jakarta. Former elite badminton players Eddy Hartono and Rudy Herjanto Saputra are concerned about the country's lackluster performance at the 2017 SEA Games, its worst in recent history, and have offered their services to the Indonesian Badminton Federation, or PBSI.
"We're concerned with the current situation, but concern alone is not enough," Eddy said in a statement on Thursday (07/09).
"As former athletes, we really want to help our juniors in badminton to reclaim our dominance in the sport. We've thought what kind of help that we can give, but we must meet with PBSI first," he added. "We're also considering meeting with Satlak Prima [Indonesia's Sport High-Performance Task Force]."
At the latest SEA Games in Malaysia in August, Indonesia only managed to win two gold medals and lost its top spot to Thailand, who won four gold medals. It was the first time Indonesia lost the major title since 1977.
Eddy was a member of the Indonesian team who held the major title in badminton at the 1991 SEA Games. He also won the 1992 All England and the 1992 Olympics silver medal in Barcelona with partner Rudy Gunawan.
"We, former athletes who are now in the private sector, are willing to help, because the 2018 Asian Games is also close," Eddy said.
Eddy is now a commissioner at Duta Paramindo Sejahtera, a private company who operates Green Pramuka Apartment in Central Jakarta, while fellow ex-teammate Saputra is the company's president director.
Saputra was an elite shuttler in men's doubles and also an All England winner in 1981 and 1984, with his partner Kartono.
"Badminton should be kept as Indonesia's winning tradition, all parties should support it. As former athletes, we're open if given chance to help the national team," Saputra said.
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