Badminton Association Announces Official Squads to Compete in 2017 Sudirman Cup
Jakarta. The Indonesian Badminton Federation, or PBSI, released the names of 20 atheletes who will compete in the upcoming 2017 Sudirman Cup in Gold Coast, Australia, on May 21-28.
Olympic gold medalist Liliyana Natsir will not represent Indonesia's female squad at this year's cup due to injury.
"Liliyana hasn't recovered yet, so we have replaced her with Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja," PBSI development chief Susi Susanti said on the association's website.
However, top men's doubles players Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo will represent Indonesia later this month in Gold Coast. The pair won the Yonex All England Open Badminton Championship earlier this year.
"We intentionally recruited more men's doubles, as they are our best players," Susi said. "We expect more points from men's doubles than from other competition categories, like men's singles or from women's competitions," she added.
Indonesia, who has only claimed the Sudirman Cup once in its long history, expects to reach at least semifinal competitions this year.
"Seeing that we are seeded between fifth and eighth, we will try to make it to the semifinals, and of course it would be good if we can reach the finals," Susi, who will serve as Indonesia's manager during the competition, said.
The Sudirman Cup is a biennial mixed-team championship, which has been deemed one of the sport's major events by the Badminton World Federation. The cup itself is named after PBSI's founder Dick Sudirman, and was first hosted in Jakarta in 1989.
Below are the athletes who will represent Indonesia's men's and women's squads later this month:
Men's squad: Jonatan Christie, Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo, Marcus Fernaldi Gideon, Ricky Karanda Suwardi, Angga Pratama, Mohammad Ahsan, Rian Agung Saputro, Tontowi Ahmad and Praveen Jordan.
Women's squad: Fitriani, Dinar Dyah Ayustine, Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, Greysia Polii, Della Destiara Haris, Rosyita Eka Putri Sari, Anggia Shitta Awanda, Apriani Rahayu, Debby Susanto and Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja.
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