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>2 April - May '09GUTS - A Window into World Badminton

You've played top-level badminton for a decade and a half. What changes do you observe in doubles?

Right now, it's more about strategy and technique rather than the physical element. Before in the 15x3 points system it was more physically intense. Over the next five years, I think it will remain more or less the way it is. The 21x3 points system gives everybody a chance.

Is it important to be friends with your partner to be a successful combination?

Yes, you must have a good relationship - then you will know what each of you must do on court. That's important. Me and Tony (Gunawan), we just practise individually, because he's in the US. But we know each other well, so on court we know how much each can do. We think alike, we have the same character.

Indian pair Jwala and Shruti have had a strained relationship, and they have split.

What would you say to them?

They must talk to each other. The problem in doubles is similar to that between husband and wife. There will always be problems. So we must care for each other, because we win together. You don't win for yourself. Then you must take care of your selfishness and your ego, and besides that you must support your partner and help him. In doubles there will always be problems. Even if your partner is your brother or family, there will be problems. In the beginning everything will be great and everyone will be happy, but after one or two years problems come up. Maybe it gets boring and you look for something new or different. But at one level you must care for stability and consistency.

You've played with a few partners over the years. How do you manage to adjust?

Maybe it's because my communication is good... you need

to learn to share, because everybody is different. It's about building relationships.

For me, doubles is more interesting because you have to find a balance with your partner, you must care for each other, and communication is important. And while you

work together you must beat your opponent also. It's like a science,

but it's also an art.

If a problem comes up, you how you solve it?

You cannot be selfish. You cannot be a good player if you are selfish and if you cannot talk and cannot care for your relationships. Harmony is very important.

You've been in so many big matches. How do you

prepare mentally before a big match?

Yeah, I learn everything. It's a big secret (laughs).The point is if

you're only thinking for yourself, you cannot be a good pair. On court, me and my partner have to know how much we need to do. Achievement will come of itself.

Are you happy with the way the badminton circuit is designed?

For singles players it's okay, because they have many tournaments. But doubles players like me need more than that. That's why I'm making a tournament specially for doubles. The prize money in Super Series events should be higher. I have so many plans in badminton. I want to give. If I'm still a good player, I want to continue. You can watch me and see my talents on court. I have big plans in future. Next month I will be organising a tournament in Indonesia exclusively for men's doubles. This is the first time in the world such an event is being held. My friends from India are welcome.

Doubles players haven't got the recognition they deserve...

It's important to have one event at one time. For me it's very interesting... because it's not easy to become a champion. Hopefully next year the tournament will become part of the BWF calender. I've designed a special gold trophy as well. There will also be exhibition matches between me and Tony (Gunawan) against (world champions) Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan and me and Sigit Budiarto against Ricky Subagja and Rexy Mainacky. We also plan to honour the legends of doubles, two pairs every year. This is apart from my plans to open the Candra Wijaya International Badminton Centre for doubles.

What do you make of the recession? The Indonesian federation hasn't been able to fund its training camps...

Sport must go on. But it must have support. If there is no money, you can't have achievements. Sport is not as influenced by the recession as business, so I hope things improve. The chairman of PBSI (Indonesian federation) is from the army. The problem is that he has power but he has to learn about badminton step by step.

Are you worried about the decline of singles talent in Indonesia?

Yes, very worrying. When I look around, I see that people like playing doubles more than singles. My son also likes doubles more than singles. He's seven - maybe he wants to become like me. Right now he doesn't know it's difficult to play doubles.

'Doubles is like a marriage'Candra Wijaya is one of the reigning dieties of doubles badminton. The Indonesian, a gold medallist at the Olympics (2000) and World Championships (1997) and winner of every major title several times over, was in Hyderabad for the India Open. Candra has been able to combine brilliantly with several partners, including Sigit Budiarto, Tony Gunawan, and now Joko Riyadi. The soft-spoken 33-year-old opens up to GUTS about the magic of doubles and his ambitions for this form of the game:

>3April - May '09 GUTS - A Window into World Badminton

BQCheck your Badminton Quotient

Which tournament did Sayali Gokhale win recently?

SMS your answers and name to 9611833630

Answer to last edition's BQ: Five consecutive Men's double title

Winners: Parvathi K, Dilshad, Megha Merin Ninan, Rahul B Prasad

KashyaP REaDs GUTs. DO yOU?

'Photos courtesy BadmintonPhoto.com

What's your opinion of Indian doubles?

You must search for many more players to train. Your first pair (Sanave/ Rupesh) is strategic and technical, but there's still some way to go. They can learn more about situational play... when to attack or defend, and looking for opportunities to make a point. The mixed doubles pair (Jwala/ Diju) have done well, they are a good pair.

What was your childhood like?

I was born in Cirebon, four hours from Jakarta by car. I took up the game when I was six. My family used to play, but only for fun. When I wanted to take it up seriously, I moved to Jakarta. I was eleven then. I was not talented, but I was very determined, very hard working, By the time I was 16 or 17, I wanted to prove that I would become a top player, a world champion, .

With so many doubles players during your time, what was the one thing that helped you become better than them?

Maybe it's about instinct, maybe I worked harder than them.

What are the happiest moments in your career?

Of course the Olympics (2000) was unforgettable; It's not easy to get the gold. I'm very proud and thankful about my career and my achievements.

Is it time for players to play individually rather than for the country? Taufik Hidayat is playing on his own now...

I was the first to come out of the national association and become professional two years ago. The time is right to make badminton professional, like tennis. It will happen slowly. You cannot stop it.

Hyd erabad: Wong Mew Choo, the world No.18 from Malaysia (she was in the top-10, but dropped down because of injury), is delightful to talk to. She always responds with a wide grin and extravagant motions. "Naw, don't ask me that, la," she smiles naughtily when someone asks her about her relationship with world No.1 Lee Chong Wei. "He always offering me motivation, sometimes he teases me: 'don't be stupid!' when I make a mistake. He's very clever! I don't know what will happen when he retires, because our junior players are still not good enough."

Wong might be self-effacing, but she's already done the unthinkable -- winning a Super Series event in China after taking down their best-known names. Beating the Chinese women in any part of the

Chong Wei's better half

world is difficult, but beating them to a title in China is virtually unheard-of. What makes it more admirable was that she gritted her way through an injury. "Beating Chinese is very difficult," she says. "I just kept playing one Chinese after another, and all went into rubber (third) games. But I was the underdog. I was injured, and hadn't trained well, so I played freely, without pressure."

Was the crowd against her? "Of course! Very noisy! And all of them supporting the Chinese player."

What makes them so good? "They're all very tall, not short like me, " she says. "So they can cover the court better. They're good technically. all of them can analyse your game very fast. Also, they have so many to choose from."

>4 April - May '09 GUTS - A Window into World Badminton

This time, finally, India beat a long jinx at the Sudirman Cup (May 10 - 17). For a nation with its badminton pedigree, the Sudirman Cup (world mixed team championships) has always been something of a problem. The country had never been able to progress beyond Group 3 - and has languished at No.17 and 18. This was in stark contrast to the Thomas Cup, or men’s team event, where India has consistently made the final rounds, even featuring in three semifinals.

India’s strength has always been the singles, and to a lesser extent the men’s doubles, which is used to explain why the Thomas Cup performances have been healthier than the Sudirman - which has all five events: two singles, two doubles, and one mixed.

Aparna Popat, who alongside Pullela Gopichand led the Indian challenge at various events for a decade, is willing to concede that the current team is more balanced and organised. “Our doubles teams were slightly weaker, but then, that wasn’t the only reason,” she says. “In the past, singles players teamed up to play doubles. It would be a scratch combination, decided at the team meeting the night before the match. Now I think it’s more organised, and our doubles teams, especially the mixed, are more organised and professional.”

While Group 1 features eight of the elite teams (China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea, etc), Group 2 has some teams that do not have the same depth or pedigree as India. Teams such as Russia (2003), Poland (2005) and France (2007) have upset India in the playoffs for a Group 2 place, and this has been a fact that has always bothered coaches and players alike. This time, however, with sufficient all-round strength across

all events, and with in-form players such as Arvind Bhat, Saina Nehwal, and the world-class combinations of Sanave Thomas/ Rupesh Kumar and Jwala Gutta/ V Diju, India were never in doubt of topping Group 3 and being promoted to Group 2.

It helped that India were drawn in the relatively easy Group 3B with Scotland, Ukraine and Australia. Group 3A might have been trickier. India easily topped 3B, whitewashing Scotland and Ukraine 5-0 and conceding one match against Australia, before taking on Bulgaria in the playoffs and beating them 3-0. The

ultimate aim however would be to get into Group 1 and rub shoulders with the best of the best. For that to happen, preparation

for the 2011 edition should start now.

Sudirman format to change

Guangzhou: India’s elevation to Group 2 of the Sudirman Cup will become irrelevant, for the format of the world mixed team championships is set to change from its next edition in 2011.

At a Badminton World Federation (BWF) meeting on the sidelines of the ongoing competition, it was decided the tournament should do away with the current format to make it more exciting.

At present, teams play in four groups, with only the eight teams in the top level able to win the cup and the rest fighting for relegation or promotion between different tiers. “For some time we’ve been discussing how to make it more exciting,” said Paisan Rangsikipho, chairman of the BWF events committee. “In future, any team will have a chance to win the cup in a knock-out draw style.”

There will be seedings for the 2011 edition, said Rangsikipho, but they will be based on world rankings, not the results of the current competition.

India's Sudirman Cup results:

Subgroup 3B: India bt Australia 4-1, India bt Ukraine 5-0,

India bt Scotland 5-0

India played Subgroup 3A toppers Bulgaria. India beat Bulgaria 3-0: Sanave Thomas/ Rupesh Kumar bt V Metodiev/ Y Hristov 21-13 21-11; Saina Nehwal bt Linda Zetchiri 21-14 21-17; Arvind Bhat bt Krasimir Yankov 16-21 21-16 21-19

A ghost is laid to restMediocre performances and lack of team strength meant India languished below its level at previous editions of the Sudirman Cup

>> sUDiRMaN cUP >>

Kang re-elected BWF President

April - May '09 GUTS - A Window into World Badminton >5

Guangzhou: China fulfilled pre-tournament predictions in retaining the Sudirman Cup world team championships, crushing South Korea in the final in front of an ecstatic home crowd.

The outstanding side for the whole week, the all-powerful Chinese won the tie 3-0, taking the title for a seventh time and in doing so completed the competition without losing a single match. There will inevitably be a debate about whether China’s domination of badminton is good for the sport, not that anyone cared in a packed Guangzhou Gymnasium, in southern China, amid roars of approval from a patriotic audience.

“We’ve got an excellent team,” said China’s head coach, Li Yongbo. “They worked very hard and I’m proud of them, and I think they fulfilled their potential and maintained the dignity of China by successfully retaining the cup.”

If the South Koreans were to pull off a shock victory, they needed their talented mixed pair of Lee Yong-Dae and Lee Hyo-Jung, the Beijing Olympic gold medallists, to win the opening rubber. There was the merest whiff of an upset as they took the first game against Zheng Bo and Yu Yang, but the Chinese pair - propelled along by the vociferous home support - came back, winning the next two games to put China 1-0 ahead.

The crowd’s darling, Lin Dan, was next up for the Chinese, the Beijing Olympic gold medallist and sporting idol dispatching Park Sung-Hwan 21-14 21-18.

Korea failed to win a single match in the final of the Sudirman Cup against the awesome Chinese

Park has only recently returned from national service in South Korea, according to his coach, and he might reflect in hindsight that was more enjoyable than facing an on-song Lin playing in his home nation.

“I like playing in my own country,” Lin, who beat world number one Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia on semi-finals, said afterwards. “I played very well but sometimes I hurried too much to win the match.”

China secured the tie - and the trophy - after Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng squeezed through the men’s doubles, beating Jung Jae-Sung and Lee Yong-Dae 21-14 17-21 21-19.

Results: China 3 bt South Korea 0: Mixed Doubles: Zheng Bo/Yu Yang (CHN) bt Lee Yong-Dae/Lee Hyo-Jung (KOR) 18-21 21-19 21-16; Men’s Singles: Lin Dan (CHN) bt Park Sung-Hwan (KOR) 21-14 21-18; Men’s doubles: Cai Yun/Fu Haifeng (CHN) bt Jung Jae-Sung/Lee Yong-Dae (KOR) 21-14, 17-21, 21-19

Guangzhou: South Korean Kang Young Joong was re-elected as president of Badminton World Federation (BWF) here on May 10, Sunday. Kang was elected president of BWF in 2005 during the 9th Sudirman Cup and his term ceased in 2009. During the 11th Sudirman Cup in Guangzhou, he won the re-election, polling a vote of 162-233.

His challenger Andrew Kam, vice president of the Malaysian Badminton Association, polled a vote of 70-233.

Paisan Rangsikitpho of the United States was elected deputy president of BWF with 167 votes, while his challenger Robin Bryan from Australia wrapped up with 59 votes. Li Lingwei, vice president of the Chinese Badminton Association, was reelected council member of BWF with the highest vote of 225.

A total of 17 council members were elected among 33 candidates.

Kang said in a press conference: "After reboarding the organization, we will keep our promise of serving our members. In the future, we will attract more children to enjoy badminton. And we will start from the beginning... we'll create greater value, create new vision, and create new future (for the organization)."

Rangsikitpho echoed with Kang, saying that this was a new chapter and they would shoulder the responsibility to move forward. -Xinhua

Kang re-elected BWF President

A no contest-A no contest-

April - May '09GUTS - A Window into World Badminton>6

Special Discount Sale on all Yonex products & Fitness ItemsOnly at : LANAI PRO -SHOPKarnataka Badminton Association, #4, Jasma Bhavan RoadMillers Road, Bangalore 560002 Ph: 22284477/ 41231074

Taufik Hidayat and Pi Hongyan lit up the India Open GP Gold and left fans asking for moreOrganisers can pat themselves on the back over the India Open Grand Prix Gold tour-nament, which concluded on 29th March 2009. The week-long event progressed smoothly and showcased some great talent, but more importantly, assured the curious badminton community worldwide that Hyderabad was fit enough to host the World Championships, due in August this year.

If world No.1 Lee Chong Wei crashed out in the first round and immediately drew concern over whether the top play-ers took Indian events lightly, Indonesian Taufik Hidayat and Frenchwoman Pi Hongyan did their best to allay those fears. Taufik took his time to warm up, but once into the quarters, astonished everybody with his skills. Not in recent memory has such a showman played on Indian soil, and those who witnessed his matches must feel honoured to have had the opportunity. In a badminton world dominated by one-track styles, especially the hard-hitting variety, Taufik brought along his sorcerer's touch. He caressed the shuttle to various corners; coaxed it over the net; saw angles where none existed; and when required to, dem-

onstrated that he was capable of unleashing the hammer blow instead of the velvet touch. His backhand smash is unseen elsewhere in contem-porary badminton, and he used it often to remind people that the backhand can still be a useful weapon. His game moved former Asian cham-pion Dinesh Khanna so much that he raved that it was "a breath of fresh air" to see Taufik in action.

Hafiz Hashim entered the final in his languid way. The Malaysian is a stylist, and the final had

some breathtaking moments, with Hafiz even mastering Taufik at the net. Taufik was unable to catch Hafiz off-position, for such is the Malaysian's ease of movement. The Indonesian genius nevertheless had his opponent's measure.

The women's champion, Pi Hongyan, had to battle sickness and tough rivals to win her first GP title in over two years. Hongyan had a tough draw and had to grit her way past two dangerous Chinese and an inspired Malaysian to claim the trophy. Both Wang Shixian and Xia Jingyun are relative newcomers, but they are products of the Chinese assembly-line, and Hongyan needed all her energy and experience to get past them to the final.

Indian pair V Diju and Jwala Gutta's ap-peance in the final was no surprise, for they have been in excellent form over the last year. A title would have been invaluable for doubles badminton in the country, for this is a neglected event.

Jwala and Shruti Kurien's prickly relationship, meanwhile, attracted media attention after a story broke out on their imminent split. The pair is India's most successful women's doubles team ever, and the road ahead is unclear, especially

as Jwala has forged a successful on-court relationship with V Diju in the mixed. Whether she can combine well with Ash-wini Ponappa remains to be seen, as will be Shruti's new partnership with Aparna Balan. Followers of Indian badminton will hope that the two manage to patch up and play together during team events at least.

Saina Nehwal was a clear favourite for the women's singles, but fell to pressure and a motivated opponent. But these are situations that will recur in her career; as in her Olympics quarterfinal against Yulianti, Saina was unable to switch tactics and play a more patient game when her smashes were being easily answered.

The India Open gave us the first glimpse of a new generation of Chinese, and they are every bit as formidable as the world thought they would be.

Among the young Indians, Arund-hati Pantwane, Sikki Reddy, Vinay Kumar Reddy and PC Thulasi did exceedingly well. Arundhati gave Malaysian Wong Mew Choo a stiff workout, while Vinay Reddy played Chinese Qiu Yongbo on equal terms for much of the match. Thulasi's aggres-sive game worked well against Japan's Yu Hirayama, with the former top 10 player conceding that Thulasi "has a big heart". With the World Championships and the Commonwealth Games coming up, Indian badminton will continue to remain in focus.

A breath of fresh air

>> india open >>

April - May '09 GUTS - A Window into World Badmin-

Parupalli Kashyap, who reached the quarterfinal of the Asian championships, says it’s all coming together now

P Kashyap’s quarterfinal showing at the Badminton Asia Championships (ABC) at Suwon in Korea has given the national No.4 a fresh injection of confidence, for the year began rather sedately.

After losing in the first round of three international tournaments this year – including the India Open in his hometown Hyderabad – Kashyap surged to the quarterfinals of the ABC, falling to eventual winner Bao Chunlai of China in a three-setter. Chunlai, a former world No.2, returned to action last month after a long injury layoff, and has already hit form with two titles. “He was playing at a high level,” said Kashyap, on phone from Hyderabad. “I found I could match him as the match went on. I didn’t go in with any pre-determined notion, but I was comfortable throughout, and I kept catching him with my flicks and net game. I got excited in

Smt Krishna Khaitan Memorial has been the premier Junior Badminton tournament in India for the last two decades. The reasons are many. The timing, except for the last year, is always immediately after the summer hols when players attend coaching camps and the schools are the least strict about attendance. The efficiency and experience of Mr.Sanjiv Sachdeva is also one of the major pluses.

With almost 800 players and 1500 matches involved, the BAI did well in insisting on three days of qualifying rounds. This has eased the schedule considerably.

BAI also introduced the Dutch tournament management software for the first time in an All India Open tournament. It was acquired by BAI during the World Jr Championships held in India last year. The software enables computerized entry, preparation of draws, scheduling, score sheet printing, publication of results on the internet etc. It is a veritable boon to the organizers and referee who are freed of much boring routine chores.

Although everyone felt that, little care should have taken to clean the courts frequently. Few players were seen skidding and returning the shuttles as if they are playing clay court tennis.

the third game – I kept thinking I could beat him, but at 14-all I made a couple of mistakes and he hit the line with two or three half-smashes and I wasn’t ready for them. But it feels good because this is my second match against him – in our first match I was out of breath, I couldn’t match him at all.”

Kashyap was particularly happy with his ABC performance because he beat Hong Ji Hoon in the second round – his first win against a Korean. He went on to beat the Vietnamese player Nguyen Tien Minh in the next round, before falling to Bao.

“The Koreans have a stereotyped game – they have a straight kind of game, they hit into your hands, and rally for long without making mistakes. I found I could move Hong Ji Hoon around.”

Despite three successive three-game matches, he felt in good shape. “I was happy with my fitness. The thing that made the difference was that we stretched for half-an-hour before and after the match as part of our warm-up and cooling-down

sessions. We had a physio named Kiran with us – he ensured we stuck to the routine. This is the first time we’re doing such an extended warming-up routine, and the results showed.” The Hyderabadi, whose attacking style has often evoked comparisons with his coach and mentor Pullela Gopichand, says he is now “working on playing safe, to rally and not make mistakes”.

Fortunately no major injuries were reported.

Earlier BAI had circulated new guideline for state associations and players regarding participation and conduct of tournaments It necessitated registration by submitting a document authenticated by the educational institution, attested by the district and state secretaries. Without registration, no player is now allowed to participate in All India tournaments.

As such, many states were slow to respond causing much heartburn to the organizers and players. The effort on the part on BAI to streamline the conduct of tournaments is most laudable as one has to start somewhere to align with WBF standards. Thus, the last date of entry was made three weeks prior to the start of the tournament and no change or substitution was permitted after the last date of entry. The only change permitted was withdrawal. This, many people felt was a bit too harsh as there will be many genuine cases where a player’s partner could fall sick and there would be some player available to replace him.

The list of players with their id numbers and dates of birth maintained by BAI in their website is a joke and a lesson to all sports association as to how not to maintain such a list. Against the players’

names are several symbols with legends “as per date of birth certificate submitted but not in the prescribed format” and “variation as per BAI records”. For an association maintaining such a paradoxical data base in its official website, to clamp down so heavily on some aspect of tournament conduct, was a lop sided measure.

The overage menace which haunts junior sporting competitions in India continues to prevail even now. Giants participate in lower age category events with impunity provided they submit the BAI registration form attested by the School authorities, District and State Secretaries. The only legitimate weapon BAI is empowered with is the medical examination for all quarterfinalists during the Mini, Sub Junior and Junior nationals. Unfortunately, the tests conducted are turning out to be farces with offenders going scot free and even being rewarded with multiple foreign exposure trips.

Parents and coaches and all well wishers of Badminton in India feel that BAI should fix responsibility on the Secretaries of District and State Associations to keep their offices in order and maintain proper records and learn to communicate speedily and effectively with the national association, organizers and players so that many of the maladies affecting the game in India can be sorted out without much delay.

The Right Mix

BAI: A New Direction

-T R Balachandran

April - May '09 GUTS - A Window into World Badminton

Printed & Published by Thomas J. Kunnath. P4, KSSIDC Industrial Area, Mahadevapura, Bangalore - 560 048. Printed at National Printing Press, Koramangala, Bangalore-560 095. Email: thomas@kunnath.in

>8

GUTS condoles the death of Indra Gunawan

Beijing: On May 4th, Gao Ling, two-time Olympic badminton mixed doubles champion, tied the knot in Park Hyatt Beijing with Wu Sheng, a graphic designer, in a grand wedding ceremony. Wu Sheng, owner of a graphic design company, arranged the romantic wedding himself. Gao Ling, just retired from the Chinese National team, was busy preparing for the National Sports Games. The ceremony was set to be held in one of Beijing's most prestigious hotels : the 5-star Park Hyatt Beijing, which opened last year.

The banquet was full of celebrities, in spite of preparations for the upcoming Sudirman Cup in Guangzhouwith Gao's friends and former colleagues, almost all the national badminton players, attending the wedding. Lin Dan in a tuxedo; Xie Xingfang in a short blue dress; Zhang Ning in a short-sleeved purple outfit; Bao Chunlai was wearing a waistcoat and a shirt. Yang Wei, Zhang Jiewen, Zhang Jun and many others couldn't miss the opportunity to see their friend tie the knot. Li Yongbo, as her former coach and best man, praised Gao's achievement on stage and gave the couple a coloured glaze "Ru Yi" and blessed them. - Badzine

Shuttlecock art

Kansas City: Inventing the Shuttlecocks, an exhibition that opened in April, reveals the creative process that led American artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen to create the four Shuttlecocks in the Kansas City Sculpture Park. The exhibition will celebrate the 15th anniversary of their installation and remain open through August 16.

Upon their installation in 1994, the Shuttlecocks evoked admiration and provoked consternation. "Some felt they were an affront to the Museum and everything it represented," observed Jan Schall, Sanders Sosland Curator, Modern & Contemporary Art, at the Nelson-Atkins.

"Shuttlecocks expanded the definition of art, as did the work of Marcel Duchamp and Andy Warhol and before them Monet and Picasso. The Shuttlecocks proved that art is not only about serious subjects. It also can create wonder and be fun," Schall said.

The public now has embraced the "fun" of the Shuttlecocks. Images of the sculptures are frequently used in advertisements,

web sites and brochures, not just for the Nelson-Atkins but also for Kansas City and Missouri.

"They thought about American Indian feathered headdresses, prairie windmills and lawn games like badminton with its racquets and 'birdies,'" Schall explained. "And they also considered Kansas City jazz and legendary saxophonist Charlie 'Bird' Parker."

Today, the four 18-feet-tall Shuttlecocks, each weighing 5,500 pounds, are visual icons for both Kansas City and the Nelson-Atkins. -Art Daily - Eastport, Maine, USA

Indra Gunawan no more

Indra Gunawan, former national coach for Malaysia and Indonesia, and one of the most respected figures of the world tour, passed away in his home in Jakarta recently, aged 61. He was suffering from colon cancer.

Indra was well known for his key part in Lee Chong Wei's amazing debuts, back when he was head coach for the national team of Malaysia. The world number one was deeply saddened by the passing of his former mentor.

“My plan was to visit him when I arrive in Jakarta for the Indonesian Open. But unfortunately, I will not get the chance to say

good bye to him,” said Chong Wei. “I knew he was in critical condition during the Pahang Open recently. In fact, I spoke to him a few days ago and

told him to hang in there and wait until I turn up in Jakarta,” he told Malaysia's The Star. -Raphael Sachetat

AroUND The worlD

New partner for Gao Ling