Channel NewsAsia By Patwant Singh | Posted: 17 February 2011 1752 hrs Ronald Susilo SINGAPORE : Singapore's top male shuttler Ronald Susilo is now hoping to make a mark in coaching. And the 31-year-old got a timely S$388,000 boost from sportswear company Li-Ning at its ION Orchard store on Thursday. 2011 is also set to be a busy year for Susilo as he prepares to wed Widyana Mulia at the Marina Bay Sands in May. He has also been named Li-Ning's brand ambassador and head coach for its badminton academy, located at the Singapore Chinese Swimming Club. The sponsorship over three years also covers Susilo's own academy at the Anglo-Chinese School. A total of 120 children, aged six to 17, from both academies is set to benefit from the sponsorship. Susilo also revealed that he could go back to playing for Singapore, but only for doubles which requires more intensive training. However, he will give this year's Li-Ning Singapore Open a miss due to a tight schedule over the next few months. Commenting on the local badminton scene, Susilo said it is in transition and needs more time to groom a champion or top player. He added that there are possible candidates who could fill that gap, but they will need a few more years to peak. He said: "We plan to grow the academy, develop the young people by giving them good training, giving them more exposure in terms of tournaments and probably exchange programmes with other countries, so all this money will be put into good use for all this." (It is heartening to learn that Ronald is giving back to Singapore what he has received as a player. And one of the best ways is to help develop Singapore badminton to a higher level starting with the youths. At 31, it is still not too late for Ronald to return to competitive badminton as a doubles player if even Peter Gade at 34 is still able to win the Denmark nationals for the 10th time this year as a singles player, even surpassing Morten Frost's record. We wish Ronald success in his badminton endeavours.)
SINGAPORE — Singapore’s former No 1 badminton player, Ronald Susilo, retired last year to begin a career as a coach. He opened the Ronald Susilo Badminton Academy at his alma mater, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) last May. Today, he also coaches teams from Anglo Chinese Primary School and Meridian Junior College. Susilo’s new career received a big boost yesterday when he was hired as head coach of the Chinese Swimming Club-Li Ning Badminton Academy. Chinese sports equipment company Li Ning will provide S$388,000 in cash and kind over three years for the academy. Susilo, who was ranked as high as world No 6 in 2004, is now also Lin-Ning’s brand ambassador. The 31-year-old, who will wed fiancee Widyana Mulia on May 15, said the tie-up with Li Ning will help him develop his academy, which has an enrolment of close to 50 young badminton players from primary schools all over Singapore. “This sponsorship shows that Li Ning is really interested to help develop badminton in Singapore,” said Susilo. “It is definitely a boost for my income and encourages me in my coaching work.” With a coaching staff to assist him, Susilo hopes to develop local talent who will go further than he did. “When I came to Singapore, there were not many players to spar with. The game here has since developed and there is a better system to develop players,” he said. “I didn’t have so much then but was still able to reach as far as I got. I think I can pass on this knowledge to players who can take advantage of what they have now to be top-class players.”
FORMER national shuttler Ronald Susilo’s aspirations to become a top coach received a boost yesterday when he inked a sponsorship deal worth $388,000 with Chinese sportswear brand Li-Ning. PHOTO: COURTESY OF LI-NING Susilo with his fiancee Widyana Mulia at Li-Ning’s flagship store in Ion Orchard yesterday, where he received a hongbao – a $388,000 sponsorship deal – from the sportswear company. Half the amount will be paid in cash over three years. As part of the sponsorship, he was also appointed Li-Ning’s brand ambassador, and head coach of the Chinese Swimming Club (CSC) Li-Ning Badminton Academy. The Straits Times understands that half of the $388,000 will be cash paid out over a three-year period. The estimated $64,000 a year he earns will make the 31-year-old one of the bestpaid rookie coaches in badminton. Top coaches at the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) and around South-east Asia are believed to draw monthly salaries of at least $10,000. Susilo had retired as a competitive player last March before taking up a part-time coaching post at SBA. Barely a month later, he launched his own academy. The remainder of the Li-Ning deal will be fulfilled in badminton equipment such as rackets and shuttlecocks, which the 2005 Sportsman of the Year can utilise for his own academy at the Anglo-Chinese School (Independent). But the Indonesian-born Susilo will be spending most of his time at the CSC Li-Ning Academy, which was set up last September to unearth new blood for the Singapore national squad. The academy takes in young people between six and 17 years old and currently has 120 trainees. Susilo, who reached the quarter-finals of the men’s singles at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, will be in exalted company. Li-Ning also sponsors top athletes such as National Basketball Association star Shaquille O’Neal. Said Ms Vivien Lim, general manager of Li-Ning South-east Asia: “Ronald is a Singapore badminton icon and champion who is the ideal role model for youth everywhere.” The two-time Olympian is a busy man these days. On top of running his own academy, he is a financial adviser for Great Eastern and also coaches Meridian Junior College and Anglo-Chinese Primary’s school teams. Even with the added responsibilities, Susilo remains unfazed, saying: “I have my schedule all figured out and I believe I’ll be able to cope. “Coaching youths and developing their interest in badminton is my passion and I hope I can become a top coach.” Although he is Singapore’s most successful shuttler in recent times, it was his five-year relationship with national table tennis star Li Jiawei that propelled him into the limelight. They were the Republic’s most famous sports couple when they started dating after the 2002 Commonwealth Games. They parted ways in 2008. However, Susilo believes he has found his soul-mate in Indonesian Widyana Mulia, 31, an internal auditor. The couple, who have been dating for a year, will tie the knot on May 15 at a dinner at Marina Bay Sands. * 18 Feb 2011 * The Straits Times * BY LEE MIN KOK
An Invaluable "FOREIGN TALENT" Actually I'm so glad that Ronald Susilo has returned to make his contribution to Singapore Badminton. He was full of potential as a player for Singapore, reaching his highest WR#4 and knocking out Lin Dan at the Athens Olympics 2004 before being defeated by Boonsak in the QF. There was a lot of bad talk about Singapore's Foreign Talent and how "local talent" has been deprived because of them. The truth is that the locals have not quite reach the standards of the FT's, so how can they compete in the international arena? Until our local talents are good enough it is no use complaining. Commitment, passion and hardwork are required. And here RS is about to help make a quantum change to the local badminton scene together with all the other imported coaches that help out in our schools, community and social clubs, SBA, etc. I hope our local talents and their parents will take full advantage of such an opportunity if they really want to succeed. Kudos to Li Ning for supporting not only SBA but also RS and of course there are many other sponsors as well. So Singapore Badminton is the enviable beneficiary. RS is not the only FT turned Singapore citizen who is contributing back to Singapore sports in a most significant way. Our current deputy Head Coach in women's table tennis was also a FT who is now a Singapore citizen, married to a Singaporean and presented Singapore with a young son. On the economic front, the "foreign" multi-national companies had been welcomed to Singapore since independence and they are here to stay to make their contributions to Singapore and ensuring Singapore's survival. The two new IRs, Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands, have already made a positive impact in terms of income, business opportunities and jobs for Singapore. They are our FTs as well.
There is nothing wrong in recruiting FT, if it is not for FT, international table tennis will be all CHN affairs and fast becoming a dud. FT gives those CHN girls a chance to continue their playing career when they are no longer wanted. Players like LL, ZL, even JYJ can play for other countries if they could not crack CHN lineup. If OLY is limiting 2 players per country in future, CHN sure is crowded with great players that would be welcomed by other country and not wasted. Spread the talents around if CHN cannot find room for them.
Coach Susilo aims to hit the heights TODAY by Ian De Cotta 05:56 AM Feb 18, 2011 SINGAPORE - Singapore's former No 1 badminton player, Ronald Susilo, retired last year to begin a career as a coach. He opened the Ronald Susilo Badminton Academy at his alma mater, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) last May. Today, he also coaches teams from Anglo Chinese Primary School and Meridian Junior College. Susilo's new career received a big boost yesterday when he was hired as head coach of the Chinese Swimming Club-Li Ning Badminton Academy. Chinese sports equipment company Li Ning will provide S$388,000 in cash and kind over three years for the academy. Susilo, who was ranked as high as world No 6 in 2004, is now also Lin-Ning's brand ambassador. The 31-year-old, who will wed fiancee Widyana Mulia on May 15, said the tie-up with Li Ning will help him develop his academy, which has an enrolment of close to 50 young badminton players from primary schools all over Singapore. "This sponsorship shows that Li Ning is really interested to help develop badminton in Singapore," said Susilo. "It is definitely a boost for my income and encourages me in my coaching work." With a coaching staff to assist him, Susilo hopes to develop local talent who will go further than he did. "When I came to Singapore, there were not many players to spar with. The game here has since developed and there is a better system to develop players," he said. "I didn't have so much then but was still able to reach as far as I got. I think I can pass on this knowledge to players who can take advantage of what they have now to be top-class players." Photo by OOI BOON KEONG
Susilo gets three-year Li-Ning sponsorship MY PAPER Fri, Feb 18, 2011 By Gerrard Lai RONALD Susilo received a huge hongbao from Chinese sportswear company Li-Ning yesterday. It presented the former top Singapore shuttler with a sponsorship deal worth $388,000 in cash and kind during a ceremony at its flagship store in ION Orchard, on the auspicious last day of the Chinese New Year celebrations. At the same time, the 31- year-old was also appointed the brand's ambassador and head coach of the Chinese Swimming Club Li-Ning Badminton Academy. The deal will last three years, and the sponsorship will go towards developing the Ronald Susilo Badminton Academy. The former world No. 6, who attended the ceremony with his fiancee, Ms Widyana Mulia, was delighted with the gift. He said: "The money will be put to good use, providing my academy's players with good apparel and equipment. "It can also be used to send the players to competitions overseas, to let them have more exposure and playing time." With two academies under him, arrangements for training and sparring sessions between players of the Li-Ning academy and his own academy can be made. Susilo pointed out that Singapore provides well-developed infrastructure for badminton, but players would still have to put in effort to gain an edge over rivals in the highly competitive sport. He said: "We need to develop in players an interest (in the sport) and get them to be serious about taking up badminton. "Then, apart from absorbing the experience imparted by their coaches, they must be motivated to become strong, mentally and physically." Li-Ning's South-east Asia general manager, Ms Vivien Lim, believes that his experience and coaching ability will help produce local badminton talent. She said: "Ronald's a Singapore badminton icon who can be a role model for youth to look up to." Li-Ning opened its flagship store in Singapore in 2009, and is the title sponsor of the Singapore Open badminton competition until 2013. Badminton is the cornerstone of the brand's business strategy worldwide, particularly so in South-east Asia, which includes well-regarded badminton powerhouses like Indonesia and Malaysia. gerrardl@sph.com.sg
Susilo's $388,000 deal with Li-Ning The Straits Times www.straitstimes.com Feb 18, 2011 By Lee Min Kok Susilo with his fiancee Widyana Mulia at Li-Ning's flagship store in Ion Orchard yesterday, where he received a hongbao - a $388,000 sponsorship deal - from the sportswear company. Half the amount will be paid in cash over three years. -- PHOTO: COURTESY OF LI-NING FORMER national shuttler Ronald Susilo's aspirations to become a top coach received a boost on Thursday when he inked a sponsorship deal worth $388,000 with Chinese sportswear brand Li-Ning. As part of the sponsorship, he was also appointed Li-Ning's brand ambassador, and head coach of the Chinese Swimming Club (CSC) Li-Ning Badminton Academy. The Straits Times understands that half of the $388,000 will be cash paid out over a three-year period. The estimated $64,000 a year he earns will make the 31-year-old one of the best-paid rookie coaches in badminton. Top coaches at the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) and around South-east Asia are believed to draw monthly salaries of at least $10,000. Susilo had retired as a competitive player last March before taking up a part-time coaching post at SBA. Barely a month later, he launched his own academy.
It's great that Ronald Susilo and Li-Ning are promoting Badminton in Singapore . It's great that Ronald Susilo and Li-Ning are promoting Badminton in Singapore. I was posting in another thread this message: In order of priority (for any nation participating in Badminton); * Badminton should come first * Players be second * Nations be third Hope that Badminton Singapore will allow Ronald and Li-Ning to make Badminton becoming more popular in Singapore. It's Badminton for Badminton's sake. The post referred to (mentioned above) is located at; http://www.badmintoncentral.com/for...minton-Coach?p=1626376&viewfull=1#post1626376 .
Thanks Chris, I have given my own opinion in your thread. If RS is not given the support and opportunity he is now receiving, he'll probably find it extremely difficult to succeed in his venture. Even now, it is left to be seen how he will perform in years to come. But as I've said, I'm glad that RS has overcome his unhappy past and is now ready to enter into a long-term relationship with another lovely lady. I wish them happiness.
