Rasmussen finds net value in doubles [font=Arial, Helvetica] Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta Post The badminton world would not have been able to watch the skillful Jonas Rasmussen had the specialized doubles player chosen to play soccer instead of badminton. Rasmussen, 26, said that during his teenage period, about three years after he entered a badminton club, he was faced with a choice between continuing to play badminton or shifting to soccer. "I chose badminton because it found it enjoyable. It was a fast game and I like playing at speed. I beat my friends quite often in my neighborhood," Rasmussen said, adding that badminton and soccer are the two most popular sports in Denmark. Rasmussen recalled his childhood when he used to play with other children in his neighborhood by using a high fence as a "net". He joined a small badminton club in his hometown, Aarhus, the second-largest city in Denmark after Copenhagen, when he was only nine years old. Five years later, at 14, he joined the Danish national training center and became a member of the junior team. At first, he had to play in all three categories of singles, men's doubles and mixed doubles, but when he was 17 he became a national champion at junior level in the men's doubles. "We had to choose between singles, doubles and mixed doubles, so I went for doubles and mixed doubles," he said. Three years later he had to stop playing badminton for five months due to military service, as it is compulsory for Danish males to serve in the military. He said conscription changed his life, as he learned a lot about strong discipline. He said that he was glad to know that people accepted him just as "Jonas", not "badminton Jonas". Rasmussen paired up with Lars Paaske, two years older than he, in 2001. They built themselves into Denmark's strongest pair and then the world's top pair. They became world champions in 2003 after defeating the Indonesian pair of Candra Wijaya and Sigit Budiarto. They also won the China Open in November the same year at the expense of Malaysian's top doubles pair Lee Wan Wah and Choong Tan Fook. In the mixed doubles with Rikke Olsen, Rasmussen was a step short of becoming the European champion, losing to Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms of England in 2003. "I really want to develop my shots and game so that I can play faster and better," he said. The former student of Copenhagen Business School (CBS) majoring in communications said that he wanted to run a consulting company in the future. "I studied at CBS for only five months and dropped out later as it was difficult to combine study and badminton, but I'm thinking of continuing my studies so that I can have my own company later," he said. He said that as he had made his choice of playing badminton he would be committed to the sport by always trying to improve his skill. He has not thought about retirement yet. "As long as my body can take the hard training I will continue to play badminton. Probably I will retire when I am Jens Eriksen's age (35). Right now I see that I can still improve," he said.[/font]
Wonderful story. Seems many athletes have connection with soccer, especially at their earlier ages. No wonder soccer is the #1 popular sport in the world.
that's a very good point! BF is finally starting to take over the world... muhahaha...... and seriously, Eva wrote an excellent article. told us more about Jonas than Jonas did himself... *cough*...
mmm just to add to LazyBuddy's post, football is popular because it is one of the cheapest sports, just need a ball and you're set, so it is very popular in many poor and developing countries (no offense here). While in developed and rich countries it is played by 'millionaires'. Though I sometimes wonder how Indonesia gets good badminton players when you consider the amount of financial investment needed, shuttles, racquets and stuff... (not looking down on Indo or any other country) just a thought... Anyone?
hello kwun wow! u posted my article LOL that's one of profile stories series that i wrote...and i happened to be interested to write about jonas, waaaaaaaaaay before his match with indonesian pair flandy/eng hian. i thought he and lars would have lost the match considering their history that they lost 3-0 against the indonesian pair LOL but they won! well yeah..i did support for flandy/eng hian in the game LOL since i am indonesian but jonas and lars did play very well during the game and they won in finals too although denmark lost to china....so it was great that i chose him as a profile LOL i did write about other players and coach/ex-players LOL i wrote about rexy, tony gunawan, morten frost hansen, U.S' kevin han, and john gordon of new zealand....they are mostly retired players or new shining stars LOL
I think I speak for Kwun, and probably a lot of BF, here in asking could you please post those articles for us?
one of my stories [font=Helvetica, Arial]I'm not pessimistic but realistic: Hansen [/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]Wednesday, May 12, 2004[/font] [font=Times New Roman, Ms Serif]Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta Morten Frost Hansen, the four-time All England champion from Denmark, still looked dangerous on court in his practice game against South African first singles Chris Dednam at the Bung Karno Indoor Stadium last week. The 46-year-old man, now living and coaching badminton in South Africa, put in a very tough fight against Dednam, who wasn't able to score a point. Once in a while, Hansen shouted out directions to Dednam on how to play against him. Hansen showed he was one of the world's badminton stars. His work on shots at times drew applause from the crowd that had casually assembled. Peter Gade Christensen, his successor as the Danish no.1 shuttler, reportedly comes to him for tips and advice. They are often seated together at matches. When asked why he ended up coaching in South Africa, he said it was a "long story". It began when he visited South Africa for business in 2000. "The national badminton association contacted me to offer me the job and I was happy to take it," said Frost Hansen, who coached the Malaysian team between 1997 and 1999. He would not dream of coaching Denmark -- at least not in the near future -- saying that such a request from the Danish national team would be impossible to fulfill. Thus, for the moment, he would stay in South Africa. South Africa is a newcomer to the badminton world and the Danish man is ambitious that he can improve the country's badminton in the future. Frost Hansen is bringing a total of ten young players, ranging from 17 years of age to 21 years, to the ongoing Thomas Cup and Uber Cup Championships in Jakarta. The men's team is in Group C, along with Malaysia and Thailand, while the women's team is in Group X with Chinese Taipei and Germany. Both teams were defeated 5-0 in every game they played. The team has set no targets, knowing that their capabilities are not up to the standards of other participants, including the Danish shuttlers. "By far, we are the weakest country participating in these championships. I don't expect too much from the team," he said. "I am not pessimistic, I am just realistic. There is a reason why we're seeded twelfth among twelve teams," he smiled. "We'll learn a lot from our participation in this competition. It's something that we can bring home with us, and it will help us improve our team," Morten said. He added that it would take several more years for the South African team to become like Indonesia or Denmark, because not many people were interested in the sport. "Badminton is only a small sport in South Africa. There are only around 10,000 people interested in badminton there compared to the country's population of 45 million," he said. South Africa, along with other newcomers, such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand benefited from the International Badminton Federation (IBF)'s new rules of qualification, whereby representation from the five continents has been pursued.[/font] printer friendly
another profile [font=Helvetica, Arial]New Zealand's Gordon enjoys playing in Indonesia [/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]Monday, May 10, 2004[/font] [font=Times New Roman, Ms Serif]Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta New Zealand's Thomas Cup badminton team may have been defeated but Kiwi singles player John Gordon deserved praise for his winning run to steal one point in the team's 4-1 defeat by Germany. Being only a newcomer to this competition, the team was well aware of its prospects. "It's very disappointing that we lost the series, but we didn't have any plan (to win) the Thomas Cup anyway, so I just enjoyed the game," Gordon said after he defeated Marc Zwiebler of Germany 15-9, 15-0 on Saturday. Against Germany and South Africa in Group B, New Zealand is expected to finish third, giving it a difficult match against either China or Indonesia. Other foreign players may have complained about the noisy Indonesian audience during their games but Gordon said he grew to like it. "I think it's great to play in front of an audience like this," he said. This is his second time in Indonesia and he likes playing here. Gordon hails from Rotorua, a city two and a half-hours away from the country's biggest city, Auckland. He started playing badminton at the age of 12. His mother used to play badminton and that was how he got interested. "Badminton is a great fast game. It is very rewarding to hear the cheering crowd when you score a point. I used to play soccer and cricket when I was still at school, but cricket was far too slow for me, I'd rather play badminton," he said. "When I was 18, I moved to Auckland because I wanted to join the badminton clubs there and I managed to get into the national team," Gordon said. Gordon began playing doubles in 2000 and met his partner Daniel Shirley. They both enjoyed winning runs in small badminton tournaments. Badminton was not a popular game in New Zealand, he said. Most people preferred to play other sports such as cricket, rugby and soccer. There were few badminton clubs in the country and only 12,000 people were registered players compared its population of about 4 million people. When asked about his future career as badminton player, Gordon said he would quit badminton as soon as he graduated from university and found a job. He is currently studying law at the University of Auckland and will do his masters degree in commerce. "I will graduate in 2006, and by that time I will probably quit playing badminton," he said, adding that he wanted to become a lawyer.[/font] printer friendly
Thanks Eva. Those were very interestig articles. I felt myself compelled to read them even though sleep is beckening. Please post more as you write them!!!
another profile American Kevin Han dreaming of Olympic gold [font=Arial, Helvetica]Friday, May 14, 2004[/font] [font=Times New Roman, Ms Serif] Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta After the United States team's exit from the Thomas Cup badminton team championship, Kevin Han plans to try his luck at the upcoming Olympics. With partner Howard Bach, Han will be competing in the Olympics with the dream of winning a gold. They are the only American players among 172 badminton qualifiers. Han said he knew it would be difficult coming up against the world's best players, but said he was keen to try his best. The Shanghai-born player started to play badminton when he was 13 years old. He joined a small badminton club and played singles in his city but did not make it to the national training center in his country. He moved to the United States with his family when he was 17 years old and stopped playing badminton for almost two years due to a work commitment before resuming play again and made it into the U.S. national team. Like many badminton players in the U.S., Han, the father of two daughters, said that he could not live on his earnings as a player. "There's zero money in badminton." Han works for a home improvement warehouse in the U.S. He said many other athletes also work there. The company allows flexible working hours for them. "We do not have to be around all the time," he said. When he first arrived in the U.S., Han said he could have tried to take up more popular sports such as basketball or tennis. But he chose to continue playing badminton because he said it was the only sport which would give him the opportunity to go to the top. Han had to bury his Thomas Cup dream after the U.S. team was beaten by fellow minnow Germany in the playoff round on Tuesday night. Han's fellow members were Howard Bach, Eric Go, Khan Bob Malaythong and former Indonesian star Tony Gunawan, who took the role of player and coach. With the small number of team members, Han also played in the singles. "I play doubles but there are only five of us so I also took the singles. It's hard for me because I have been trained as a doubles player," he said. In the group matches, U.S. suffered a 5-0 drubbing by badminton giants China and Indonesia. Han said he was happy that he had the chance to play against the world's best teams. "China is getting better and better. They have five very good singles players and have two strong doubles. They're the top team in the world and stand a very good chance of winning the Thomas Cup this year and maybe for many years to come," he said about the team from his native land. Han and Howard, currently ranked 21st in the world, have participated in many competitions such as the Thailand Open, Swiss Open, All England, Korea Open and Japan Open this year, though they have never been able to get past the quarterfinals. Their rare moment of glory came in a continental tournament by winning the Peru International in April 2004. "We're not among the best teams in the world. We're actually in the middle but we're going to give our best in the Olympic Games in Athens," Han said.[/font] printer friendly
one more profile Olympic gold medalist Tony back home [font=Arial, Helvetica]Saturday, May 08, 2004[/font] [font=Times New Roman, Ms Serif] Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta Indonesian badminton fans can expect Tony Gunawan, who now plays for the United States, to return home permanently sometime in the next two years. But they shouldn't expect the 29-year-old to get back on court and play for the country that he won an Olympic gold medal for. Interviewed by The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the U.S. team's training session here on Friday for the Thomas Cup, Tony said he was thinking of returning to Indonesia in the next two years. "I'm thinking of coming back here in the next two years after I finish my studies in the U.S., but I don't think I will pursue my career as a badminton player here anymore," he said. Tony went to the U.S. in 2001 to study, with playing badminton for the country a distant concern, if one at all. He is now studying computer engineering at DeVry University and living with his wife Etty Tantry, also a former Indonesian national player, in Southern California. Tony still retains his Indonesia citizenship. Unlike the Olympics, the Thomas and Uber Cups do not require a player to hold the citizenship of the country he or she represents. Tony won a string of tournaments under the Indonesian flag before deciding to move to the U.S. And he will always be remembered as one of the very few Indonesian sportsmen who have won an Olympic gold medal, a feat he achieved in the men's doubles with Candra Wijaya in 2000. "I have a good feeling about coming back home. It's always great to be here again since this is my home," he said. While he said he was still pondering what he would do when he returned permanently to Indonesia, Tony said that for the time being he was concentrating on playing badminton for the U.S. Speaking about the state of badminton in the U.S., Tony said that unlike in Indonesia and other Asian countries, the sport was not popular there. "You can't compare badminton with basketball or tennis in the U.S. Badminton is practically nothing there," said Tony, who also acts as the coach for the U.S. team. Coming to Jakarta for the Thomas Cup with only five players, including himself, Tony said he was realistic about their chances. He said it was a difficult task finding shuttlers in the U.S. able to compete at the international level. "All of our players are still relatively new and they're not professional players. You can't compare them with Indonesian players," he said. Tony said most of the U.S. players had other full-time jobs or were students, unlike Indonesian national players whose only job was to play badminton. He said that playing in a competition against the likes of Indonesia and China, the cup was definitely out of reach for the U.S. "We don't have a specific target for this competition, we're just learning from all of the experienced players here. We have nothing to lose. "We hope that in the future badminton can be big in the U.S., and by that time, the sport will be very popular in the world," he said. Tony first rose to prominence as a player with Indonesia in 1997, when he won the Copenhagen Masters with Candra. A year later, he took the Malaysia Open with new partner Halim Haryanto. In 1998, Candra and Tony were reunited at the All England and were the only Indonesian shuttlers to bring home a title from that prestigious tournament. The pair continued their winning ways at the Asian Championship in 1999 and in Japan the same year when they again proved themselves to be the best pair in Asia by winning the only title for Indonesia. They took the ultimate prize, the Olympic gold before Tony again teamed up with Halim in 2001 to win the World Badminton Championship in Seville, Spain.[/font] printer friendly
Wow, now that Eva is so frequently posting her excellent articles, perhaps a specific section for the news articles should be set up just for her?!! Makes good reading
Great articles!! Hi Eva!! Great articles you´ve made. It could be really cool if you could post more of those in future and maybe invite other journalists to come to this forum with their opinions as well. Maybe a News Forum or a Journalist´s articles Forum could appear!! Kind Regards JR
thanks! hey jonas and other posters thanks for the compliment!!! those are articles that i wrote during the thomas cup. i was supposed to write profiles of former stars, coach, great players, especially ones who made lots of surprises in the championships. i will try to post more articles after this, but right now i am focusing more on football cos indonesia has to play the asian qualifying round for the 2006 world cup. i know...i know..our soccer team is sux..LOL but hey...it's interesting to follow the progress..and besides..watching soccer is one of my favourite too. i am also writing about softball, volleyball, karate, pole vault..*rolls eyes* whatever LOL you name it i wrote it LOL it's veeeeeeeeeeery difficult cos i have to know every single rule of each different game and that's really confusing LOL i will try to post more badminton stories here too.
journalist forum? heeeeeeeeeey about journalist's forum..i dunno maybe kwun can arrange that *waves to kwun* we have several journalists joining this forum right? including my friend novan (from the jakarta post as well) it's just that they don't get online often PS: I know it's off topic LOL but does anyone here join friendster? (www.friendster.com) HEHE i know sdk-msn does LOL
is this the right thread? sorry if it's not Thomas event gets Rp 1.2b in profit [font=Arial, Helvetica]Sports News - June 01, 2004[/font] [font=Times New Roman, Ms Serif]Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) reaped approximately Rp 1.2 billion (US$136,000) in profits from hosting the Thomas and Uber Cups competitions in Jakarta a few weeks ago, according to an official. Chief of the organizing committee Sulistyanto, who is also a PBSI chief in charge of foreign affairs, said that the profit figures were from ticket sales. "We got approximately Rp 400 million from the semifinal matches on May 14 alone," he said after meeting with the National Sports Council (KONI) here on Monday. The May 14 semifinals featured a match between Indonesia and Denmark, which the Danes won. Sulistyanto said the intake could have been higher if Indonesia had advanced to the final. "Unfortunately, we did not make the final," he said, adding that the organizers had targeted Rp 1.8 billion based on calculations that the Indonesian men would play in the final and their female compatriots in the semifinals. In fact, the women crashed out to South Korea in the quarterfinals. The tickets for the preliminary matches were sold at Rp 50,000 a piece while the prices for semifinals and final were Rp 150,000. Sulistyanto explained that the budget for holding the event had been expected at $603,000, but the cost was incurred by the sponsors, which provided necessary equipment for the event, and the International Badminton Federation's financial assistance budget. Despite the profit, the Indonesian players should not expect any bonuses as they failed to meet their target of retaining the Thomas Cup for the men and advancing to the semifinals for the women. China won both trophies. KONI's general secretary Djohar Arifin said that people should not start pointing fingers to blame others for the failure. "We'd better now get more focused on the upcoming Olympic Games in Athens. We have to maintain our gold (medal) tradition in badminton," he said. Indonesia has secured 36 places in 12 sports for the world's biggest sporting showcase. Meanwhile, hopes for another Olympic qualifier -- in women's track cycling -- were dealt a blow after Uyun Muzizah and Santia Tri Kusuma flopped in their bids at the World Track Championships in Melbourne, Australia, which ended on Sunday. Uyun, who competed in the 3000-meter race, finished 20th (top 10 qualify), while Santia was 12th (top four qualify) in the points race competition [/font]
