All aboard: Badminton must reach out and go global

Discussion in 'General Forum' started by kwun, Mar 13, 2005.

  1. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    [font=Helvetica, Arial]All aboard: Badminton must reach out and go global[/font] [font=Arial, Helvetica]On the eve of this week's All-England, badminton's most prestigious tournament, Denmark's top men's singles player Peter Gade complained that domination by Asian players was detracting from the sport's enjoyment for spectators. Four-time All-England women's singles champion Susy Susanti contends that badminton needs to step out of its traditional centers to reach new audiences. [/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica] There is some truth to what Peter said, in that a match is always more interesting when the players are from different countries. [/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica] Yet it does not have to be the East vs. West contest that Peter described. Showdowns between players from within Asia are also interesting, like my rivalries with Bang Soo Hyun of South Korea and China's Ye Zhaoying, or Icuk Sugiarto and Han Jian in the 1980s. [/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica] China is dominant right now, but there is always change at the top of the game. In the mid-1970s, perhaps there were those who thought Indonesia was winning too much with Rudy Hartono and Liem Swie King in the men's singles, but today everybody is struggling to compete with the Chinese. [/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica] Denmark has consistently produced top players, especially in men's singles and doubles. But even its women's singles players have ranked among the best, and it has been more successful in regeneration than us in producing players in the top 20. [/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica] There is no doubt that Danes and other Europeans can compete at the top level -- they have the skills and physique. But there is one important aspect -- mental toughness -- that I think the European players need to work on. [/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica] In some sports, it used to be the case that we had lost before we stepped onto the court, because Indonesians perceived athletes from Europe and the United States to be taller, stronger and better than us. [/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica] In badminton, it's the other way around. I enjoyed playing against European players from Sweden and the Netherlands because I knew that many of them were easily frustrated and would give up. When losing or in a pressure situation, they would commit unforced errors, so I didn't get tired playing them. [/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica] An example was Camilla Martin of Denmark. She was a very good player, with excellent footwork, strokes and style. She was tall, but she was also agile around the court. Even the Chinese players were afraid when they had to play her. [/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica] But I always looked forward to playing her. One reason was because her style of play suited mine. The second was that her mental strength was suspect. If she made a mistake, she would get so angry with herself and her consistency would fall apart. [/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica] I liked her off court, but there were mind games going on when we faced each other across the net. I would sometimes smile at her on court, make fun of her a bit, because I knew she would get angry. [/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica] She was world and All-England champion, but she could have won more if she was mentally tougher. [/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica] I think the real issue to make tournaments more attractive and exciting is to ensure badminton is not restricted in popularity to Asia or a few countries in Europe, like England, Denmark and Sweden, as it is today. [/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica] The International Badminton Federation (IBF) needs to work on bringing the sport to uncharted territory, like Africa, the U.S. and other parts of Europe. Perhaps it has to use the example of tennis in being able to reach all countries and make it popular in them, and then there will be a bigger pool of players of different nationalities. [/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica] Badminton needs to be packaged in such a way that it is attractive to people and they are motivated to play. If more people are interested in playing, then of course there will be higher quality of play. [/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica] It also has to change with the times and people's tastes, but that does not mean we should do away with the basic traditions. When the All-England moved from Wembley to the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham in 1994, the new stadium had a much more modern, a bit impersonal feel about it, but the sense of tradition of the tournament remained. [/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica] Another factor in improving the popularity of the sport is increased sponsorship. With more sponsors on board, there will be more attention to the sport, and badminton will grow. Again, tennis can be used as an example. [/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica] Building the sport by increasing the participation of other countries can only work to its benefit. I don't agree that it may hurt Indonesia, in that there will be more competition and our players may lose out. The country one is born in does not define whether or not one will become a champion. [/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica] I am very proud and happy that this year's World Championship is being held in Anaheim, California, instead of Denmark or Singapore, the other countries that bid. They would have been good choices, too, but the sport is already popular there. [/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica] The IBF made a great choice with Anaheim. Now, the American public will be able to see that badminton is not a backyard pastime, but a sport that combines power and art. [/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica] And we all know that if a sport is popular in the U.S., its popularity can spread across the world. [/font]

    [font=Arial, Helvetica] Susy Susanti spoke to The Jakarta Post's Bruce Emond.[/font]
     
  2. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    overall well said by susi.
    Again, she had stressed that mental toughness is #1 skill to have, the rest follows.
     
  3. ctjcad

    ctjcad Regular Member

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    Thank you Susy..:).
    There's nothing more suitable than that comment. Susy said it all right there.
    Bring it to the U.S., invest it and watch it grow. I don't know why IBF hasn't seen or didn't invest in the U.S. earlier. Probably it's about time.

     
    #3 ctjcad, Mar 13, 2005
    Last edited: Mar 13, 2005
  4. seven

    seven New Member

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    Nice article! :)
    Nice to know that Susi Susanti is more concerned about badminton worldwide development than about Indonesia maintaining(recovering?) its dominant position in the sport. :)
     
  5. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    IBF has changed the World Champs to a yearly event (instead of biannually). This is a good move and allows more flexibility in moving the venues around different parts of the world. Perhaps we will see the event in a more 'traditional' badminton country in 2006, alternating with less traditional countries.
     
  6. seven

    seven New Member

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    2006 world champs will take place in Madrid (Spain).
     
  7. Quasimodo

    Quasimodo Regular Member

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    I'm not sure about "less traditional" countries, Spain will have hosted 2 World Championships by 2006. Can any one attest to the popularity of badminton in Spain?
     
  8. seven

    seven New Member

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    Madrid is hosting the world champs in order to reinforce its bid for the 2012 olympics.

    About popularity of badminton in Spain, I would say it is minor to average. I might be able to tell you more in a little while as I might be entering an international tournament in Spain end of april...
     
  9. MikeJ

    MikeJ Regular Member

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    I hope badminton becomes a lot more popular worldwide without becoming an "east versus west" battle. :)
     
  10. Mag

    Mag Moderator

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    I think Peter said "Asia" because he was trying to be diplomatic and not point finger at one specific country. We all know that he really meant China, as does Susy.


    Naughty, very naughty. :p

    Zhou Mi also deployed these tactics against Camilla on several occasions. Ugly, but I suppose it was just too easy to tease Camilla. :D

    Interesting article! It was a long time since somebody mentioned Sweden as a strong badminton nation in Europe... But who am I to blame Suzy for not being updated! Her reasoning is still valid.
     
    #10 Mag, Mar 14, 2005
    Last edited: Mar 14, 2005
  11. Jumpalot

    Jumpalot Regular Member

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    I am sorry but that is just not the right thing to say by Peter. It's very politically incorrect at best. Since when can you refer to the dominance of a single race as "detracting from the sports enjoyment of spectators" ????? In this day and age its incredibly irresponsible that someone could still make such complaints. If the complaint is toward the race then I am simply shocked. If the complaint is towards IBF for not promoting badminton in the rest of the world to balance out the competition then I might see a small argument. But to name the dominance of asians as a bad thing is just plain wrong. I cant possibly imagine someone saying track, basketball or any other sport dominated by black athletes as detracting from the sports enjoyment for spectators. So if you can't say so for the black or other races then why would you say so for the asians ??

    I feel a strong need to defend the badminton players from asia but on second thought, there is absolutely no need to since they deserve everything they earned. The reason is quite simple, regardless of race, if you dominate a sport, you have put in amazing amount of hard work and every sacrifice there is to make to get to the top. To put down anyone's accomplishment is just beyond me, and to do so by saying it takes away the enjoyment from the spectators is just outrageous.
     
    #11 Jumpalot, Mar 14, 2005
    Last edited: Mar 14, 2005
  12. Jumpalot

    Jumpalot Regular Member

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    I am sorry but I seem to missed the diplomatic part in not pointing out the country but refering to an entire aisan race is better some how.

    Also, did China do anything wrong by dominating a sport that they enjoy? And to say that its flawed as well since China hasnt domnated mens doubles and Mixed doubles for many years maybe except for pulling off a few upsets.
     
  13. MikeJ

    MikeJ Regular Member

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    suggestion to make badminton more "TV friendly"

    Pls excuse me if this is a "not-so-good" suggestion.

    Instead of changing the way players serve or the scoring system (to make badminton more "TV friendly"), why not just allow the players to have a certain number of "time-outs" (maybe a minute or so per time-out) so that sponsors may show their commercials. I know that this will affect game play, but (IMHO) I think that this is better than changing the service to a "tennis like" serve or making the scoring system like that of volleyball's.

    Again, pls excuse me if this is a dumb suggestion. :D
     
  14. jamesd20

    jamesd20 Moderator

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    You have a top 10 Mixed pair!

    I think anyone will find it hard to argue it is not a good idea to take it up, but the point is how? In order for a sport to become popular in a country, then firstly it has to have a following, for example snooker has a big following at the moment in Asia, and we see a number of young players coming through. It takes time for the following sports get in a country to translate to competitveness at a high level. Especially in a physically demenading sport such as badminton.

    I believe these badminton training centres are a good Idea, but they will need time, and continued investment for their potential to be fully realised. They also may be a little too centralised to form a following on a large scale (IE in america they may create a Badminton crazy city, but throughout the rest of the state people may still not play).
     
  15. tranvi007

    tranvi007 Regular Member

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    Hockey Down, Badminton Up...

    I think that in North America, the problem with the hockey situation is give us badminton fans a great why to spread the popularity, due to less competition. I remember one time, badminton was canceled on television due to the budget spending on hockey...This is our chance to spread the sport.
     
  16. wilfredlgf

    wilfredlgf Regular Member

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    Let's not get into 'race' issues, here as you are doing a generalisation of the matter. The Asian 'race' does not exist, if you look at it properly. If it was Iran or India who dominated world badminton, he will still refer to as Asia.

    Peter is too professional to make brash remarks which I think had been taken out of context here. Even Susi was rational in understanding what Gade was meaning, which was to bring some variety to world badminton by greater involvement by other nations in the world, apart from the traditional Asian powerhouses. He did not say that out of jealousy (he ruled world badminton once anyway, no Asians complained).

    I would look at it as throwing he gauntlet to all other countries to rise up and challenge the might of the traditional rulers, in which in return will bring about more excitement and interest.

    Nobody is blaming Asia for dominating badminton since it's all fair game. They won it with hard work and invesments in sports just like all other countries do. It's just frustrating him to why since it's very much 'fair' in all aspects, why is it not better balanced in the top 10?

    As for Susi's mental game with Camilla, that is just normal, really. Sometimes it's down to their respective personalities, as Susi was a quiet schemer who patiently works the fall of her opponents, taking advantage of Camilla's lack of focus.

    Smiling and giggling shows that the opponent is not broken mentally, thus making them look tough to beat, giving you frustrations which, if not controlled, will break you faster with mistakes than their good strokes could.

    I one watched Zhou Mi played someone, I think it was Wang Chen. In the middle of the game, when she made mistakes or do an incredible flukey shot, she'd put on a big smile or giggle somewhat. Now how will you feel if you put so much into your game against people like this and somehow it is 'not bothering' them?

    Sneaky, really, but it's all fair as long as it doesn't cross the boundary of decency and diplomacy, bringing about danger of bad blood such as that of Jose Maurinho's little problem with UEFA of late.
     
  17. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Yes, I always thought Sweden is a strong badminton nation, at least in Europe. But it appears that Germany, Netherlands, England and France have been able to surpass Sweden for some time now. Of course, foreign imports, including foreign coaches, have played at part in uplifting the standards in these countries.

    But what actually happened to Sweden? :confused: I think Sweden has been represented at the IBF on quite a regular basis.
     
  18. checkthemc

    checkthemc Regular Member

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    I think a major issue is that people don't realize how hard badminton is. Badminton players don't have huge muscles like football or basketball players, which is why few people realize how hard it is. When people ask me if I play a sport and I reply badminton, they scoff and say in their ignorace "thats not a sport...". I HAVE to admit, before I actually played badminton for serious, I didn't veiw it as a sport either:(. Badminton is the ignorant's eyes is that its as much of a sport as chess. (Btw I'm not dissing chess. I play chess for serious also. Those world champions last 48 hour games.:eek: Thats insane). Americans love violence and badminton is not a contact sport, which is why other sports dominate hugely over it. I have no solution, but I want people who play badminton that many students and even adults dont view badminton as a sport.:crying:
     
  19. DaN_fAn

    DaN_fAn Regular Member

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    we all know that badminton is a great game.but the IBF has a lot of work to do if it has to be in,say the top 7 sports in the world.The most important thing to be remembered is that peoples' memory is short,i.e if badminton news hits the world in only events like say TC,UC,AE,WC it will do no good to the game.media facilities are improving and so is the prize money but still it's a far cry from tennis.if badminton was a boring game and then not had much publicity then it would have been understandable.but it is such an exciting sport and can attract tv audience like nuts[if quality of coverage is great],which is why the current state of badminton is all the more confusing.in my view the IBF should use certain players like say gade,taufik,lin dan,xie,nathan-emms etc. to popularise the game ,i.e every tourney these players play their results etc should all be made to shown across the world and not just for the big tourneys, even tournaments like say the denmark ,indonesia ,china open etc.The IBF must use these selected few players to draw people's attention towards the game by regularly making their tournament perfomances available for the press worldwide.when the attention shift towards the game then obviously people will know more about the oother players,quality of the game etc.
    what's ur take on what i said
     
  20. wilfredlgf

    wilfredlgf Regular Member

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    I won't say basketball is easy either - if shooting hoops while being hounded everywhere is simple, a lot of us would have been succesful at it. It relies a lot on endurance, strength and agility. We can't really compare it to street basketball or simple throw around with friends, with world badminton, as the correct level would be simple hitting upwards and forwards, as long as it goes across the net.

    The problem I think, is that badminton is simply not glamour enough, and the participation is mostly Asians, same people winning same thing. That is up to them to improve on, but I think badminton would really be more popular if America has world top 10 players, playing top class badminton, winning GP events, winning big money, do high paying advertisments.

    It's the glitz - missing.
     

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