Badminton: The Pride of Indonesian Sports
Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu after winning in women’s double semi-final in Tokyo Olympics 2020 – Photo was taken from https://katasumbar.com/mengenal-greysia-polii-apriyani-rahayu-peraih-medali-emas-olimpiade-tokyo-2020/
August 2021 was the month where Indonesians celebrated the Tokyo 2020 Olympics badminton’s gold and bronze medal. The winners come from the women’s doubles, Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu, and the men’s singles, Anthony Sinisuka Ginting. The euphoria of their winning makes everyone, those who are into badminton and not, excited. We are genuinely proud of their hard work and dedication; getting a medal in the Olympics isn’t easy. Athletes sacrifice their time and energy to do many training regimens and be far away from their families.
Badminton is a sport played on a rectangular court by two players, equipped with rackets to hit the shuttlecock over a high net. Badminton is divided into six qualifications: men’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s singles, women’s doubles, mixed doubles, and team events. Indonesia always contributes to winning international badminton competitions: world championships, international badminton cups, and the Olympics. There is a reason why badminton is a likeable sport in Indonesia – although winning many international competitions is one of the reasons -, so here is the information about Indonesian badminton.
By the way, I have something to say before we go to our main topic. Let us appreciate our athletes who strived to make Indonesia proud in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. We can see that their hard work and dedication were for nothing, and in the end, they made us proud. Good news for us! Indonesia got six medals in badminton, two for each rank (gold, silver, and bronze). This brings Indonesia to the third rank in para-badminton. Okay, continue to the discussion.
Susi Susanti and Alan Budikusuma, the gold medalist Olympic couple – Photo was taken by https://medan.tribunnews.com/2019/07/14/terungkap-dibalik-alasan-alan-budikusuma-menikahi-susi-susanti-dijuluki-pasangan-olimpiade
The first reason badminton is the most successful sport in Indonesia is because of our achievements. Many legendary badminton athletes were born and raised in Indonesia; Rudy Hartono, Susi Susanti, Alan Budikusuma. Let me bring you guys back to Barcelona Summer Olympics 1992, the day where Indonesia got the first gold medal! Susi Susanti, one of the women’s singles athletes, was honored with the first gold medal for Indonesia after competing in the final against Bang Soo-hyun from South Korea. Not only that, but Indonesia also got the second gold medal. Alan Budikusuma earned a gold medal in a men’s singles competition after competing against Ardy Wiranata, his fellow Indonesian athlete. Fun fact, their encounter in badminton brings them to become a couple; even people gave them the nickname of “gold Olympic’s couple.”
Based on the Olympics YouTube channel interview, Susi told the interviewer that her accomplishment in Barcelona 1992 changed everything; the achievement and the awareness of Indonesian citizens to this sport. It brought a positive change towards badminton in Indonesia, one of them being the excitement from the youngsters into this sport. Even now, we can still see many people are passionate about playing this racket sport. People often play badminton at the sports center to spend time with their families or friends. At the same time, they also do sports exercises to keep their body healthy and fit.
Christian Hadinata, former men doubles and mixed doubles player – Photo was taken by http://bwfmuseum.isida.pro/library/profiles/news-317-16/
Christian Hadinata, the legend of mixed doubles and men doubles in 1970 – 1980, told Olympics reporter that his journey and allegiance in badminton is inspired by his seniors that compete in All-England and Thomas Cup: Tan Joek Hoe, Ferry Sonneville, Lie Po Djian, and Eddy Yusuf. So, even after his retirement in the 90s, he decided to become a head coach. Thus, Christian Hadinata can train and invest in the young generation to become badminton players and perhaps make our country proud. The dedication from the coach is like a person who keeps a tree growing until it’s big and dawn. The coaches want to see the younger generation in badminton become qualified players that can make Indonesia proud of their achievements and hard work.
Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo, one of the world first rank in men’s double and PB Djarum’s alumni – Photo was taken from https://www.indosport.com/raket/20210904/kevin-sanjaya-kedatangan-tim-esports-bos-rrq-gas-divisi-bulutangkis
Last but not least is the most significant positive impact that makes badminton in Indonesia growing fast and strong. Without PB Djarum (Persatuan Bulu Tangkis Djarum), a scholarship for Indonesian young badminton players, there won’t be players who could have made it this far. This is because PB Djarum provides many things such as session routines and facilities: physique training, technique training, proper schedules, and healthy foods. Furthermore, their training regimen is conducted at GOR Kaliputu, Kudus, making the young athletes independent without their parent’s supervision. The benefit that has been given from PB Djarum makes the young athlete learn about discipline and persistence. PB Djarum held the audition for 8-12 years old Indonesian citizens.
The audition of PB Djarum is divided into two: U-11 (for ages 8-10) and U-13 (ages 11-12). They must compete in the knockout round in 5 cities; the participants who get the super ticket are qualified for the final and have the opportunity to follow the audition in Kudus. Sadly, these scholarships were stopped in 2019 because of the influence of KPAI (Komisi Perlindungan Anak Indonesia). KPAI said that PB Djarum was supporting children exploitation, but I don’t see the point of PB Djarum using children for promoting their brand -you all know that Djarum is the company that focuses on selling cigarettes-. Instead, Indonesian badminton needs a sponsor from the enterprise so that Indonesian badminton can develop rapidly. They also should see that many legendary PB Djarum alumni already went internationally: Kevin Sanjaya, Liliyana Natsir, Liem Swie King, etc. Although the last news that I hear is KPAI decided to revoke the discontinuation of PB Djarum scholarships, the children must use the t-shirt without the PT Djarum logo. I hope the scholarships can be continued by PB Djarum; the legacy of badminton must be continued by the next generations.
Editor: Handiko Wijaya & Clara Nathania
