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PBSI vows to guarantee welfare of badminton champions
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Indonesian badminton mixed-doubles pair (in red) Liliyana Natsir (right) and Tontowi Ahmad take a wefie with Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) chairman Gita Wirjawan (third left) and Air Asia Group CEO Tony Fernandes (second right) after the handover ceremony of Airasia's lifetime ticket certificates for Asian Olympic champions in Bangkok, Thailand, on Sept. 8. (Courtesy of PBSI/File)
T
he Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) has vowed to prioritize the welfare of Indonesian badminton athletes as part of incentives to boost regeneration in the sport.
The athletes’ welfare is an absolute condition needed to develop the sport in the long-term, PBSI chairman Gita Wirjawan said on Thursday.
“We now have three men’s singles athletes with the potential to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, namely Jonatan Christie, Ihsan Maulana Mustofa and Anthony Sinisuka Ginting. While regeneration in women’s singles is in the spotlight, we actually have young athletes with potential: Gregoria Mariska and Fitriani,” he said in a media statement from Bangkok, Thailand.
Gita was accompanying Indonesian badminton mixed doubles pair Tontowi "Owi" Ahmad and Liliyana "Butet" Natsir at the ASEAN Heroes 2016 event held by AirAsia. After the ceremony, Owi and Butet attended a courtesy meeting with the Indonesian ambassador to Thailand, Ahmad Rusdi.
“It’s a special day for we have special guests, Owi and Butet, who made Indonesia proud in the 2016 Rio Olympics by winning gold medals on Independence Day on Aug. 17, 2016,” Ahmad said in his remarks.
During the event, Air Asia Group CEO Tony Fernandes granted life-time tickets to Southeast Asian athletes who won Olympic gold medals, including the two Indonesians. The Malaysia-based airline will provide free tickets to any of its 120 destinations. (ags)
