This is Part II of the 2nd installment of our ROAD TO BEIJING series, where our correspondent Aaron Wong is addressing the question "WILL THE THOMAS AND UBER CUP RESULTS HELP US TO MAKE PREDICTIONS FOR THE OLYMPICS?", which was introduced in Part I.

By Aaron Wong, Badzine Correspondent. Photos: Badmintonphoto
 

Is it also a coincidence that Indonesia’s women have hit their stride since reaching the Uber Cup finals? Their three singles players ranked outside the top 25 have continued to overachieve. Adriyanti Firdasari removed top seed Pi Hongyan from the Singapore Open, Pia Zebediah stretched World Championship silver Medalist Wang Chen to 3 games, and Maria Kristin Yulianti forged past Olympic gold medallist Zhang Ning and bronze medallist Zhou Mi for a spot in the final of her home Super Series only to be stopped by Zhu Lin in 3 games. Lilyana Natsir/Vita Marissa won ladies’ doubles in Indonesia.

Indonesia (and the same can be said about Korea) has a pedigree in ladies’ events and there was always going to be a basic high standard of international skills, Chinese domination of the rankings notwithstanding. Perhaps with hindsight, the 2008 Uber Cup Cup can be recognised as the stimulus for a new generation of champions. The Olympics is possibly too soon to expect great results but hopefully the Uber Cup will spur them on to a new golden era.

"I must say that winning the sixth has been harder than winning the five consecutive," Chinese coach Li Yongbo remarked of the way the Uber Cup unfolded, "and I attribute it to the fact that the standard of women’s badminton has risen all over the world...but I think with the rise in the standard of women’s players from other countries, this will give my players the needed competition and motivation to raise their game. Competition is essential for players to take their game further." (Badzine, May 2008)

FORM GUIDE

The TUC being 3 months before the Olympics is a form guide to the preparedness (physical, emotional and mental) of players at a high-pressure event -- a tick-those-boxes exercise of sorts for coaches. The news coverage was in-depth and star players were scrutinised.

Wasn’t Lee Chong Wei outstanding? He played well and also spoke well throughout the Thomas Cup. The world #2 supplied Malaysia an initial upper hand in the semi-final against China by downing world #1 Lin Dan 21-12, 21-14. "It's my best ever match against him. I focused my preparations on this game. I expected a tough game against him," said Lee (Associated Press). More interesting is that this year when he said he felt exhausted he lost at the Asian Championships and when he felt fine he has won. Lee went on to capture the Singapore Open.

Was there too much pressure placed on Lin Dan by himself, the establishment, media, or the fans despite this being a team event? Lin Dan is consistently the best player in the world, having won the lion’s share of majors in recent years. His record speaks for itself, his performance in the flesh looks more formidable than anyone else’s, yet what he has to say is not nearly as mature. Where Peter Gade (pictured above) tends to give comments that are self-examining and even inspirational for readers, Lin Dan’s come across as self-regarding and self-conscious. This is not meant to be a criticism of the individual as much as it reveals that the spotlight on Lin Dan is uncomfortable and distracts him. During the Thomas Cup, Agence France Presse ran the timely headline “I'm not a bad boy, insists Lin Dan”. In it, the pressures of being Lin Dan (pictured) were evident, there is much more to it than just being a great player.

Taufik Hidayat had no important victories to speak of. He was beaten by Thailand and Korea. The Thomas Cup will have had an effect on the Olympics in Hidayat’s case if he remains despondent about Indonesia succumbing meekly in the semi-finals or becomes absorbed in the press about him of late. He admitted, “I apologize to Indonesia for the loss. I deeply regret it. We tried hard but we failed. Nobody wants to fail. I don't have any excuse for losing. A loss is a loss.” (Jakarta Post)

Since the Thomas Cup, Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) chairman Sutiyoso said "It will be difficult for Taufik to retain his gold medal. He can't maintain his physical fitness and he keeps losing." (Antara News Agency)

But we have seen his compatriots Sony Dwi Kuncoro and Simon Santoso bounce back from the disappointment with both men reaching the finals of the last 2 Super Series, the Singapore and Indonesia Opens.

WE ARE THE NEW MEDIA

The intense media glare at the Thomas and Uber Cups impacts those on the receiving end. Badminton coverage is small relative to other sports and the square inches of in-depth evaluation are largely devoted to the stars and superpower nations of the game. China is never out of the news, nor are the hosts, Indonesia, with Malaysia, Korea, and Denmark rounding out the usual main contenders. However, the media coverage of the teams is hardly evenly balanced because the widespread press languages in the badminton world are English and Chinese. If this article had been written in Danish or Bahasa how many people would learn from it.

Malaysian players must suffer extra from the relentless moaning and never-satisfied posture of their national press and readers’ opinions. Malaysian newspapers produce a large proportion of the English coverage of badminton and over-expose the nature of their athletes to the world. Everyone knows twice as much about the psychology of top men’s combination Koo Kien Keat/Tan Boon Heong (pictured) than any other pair in the world, and the vexed relationship with their coach Rexy Mainaky is well documented. Has too much been given away? I am pointing only to the effect rather than to the cause or motivation of the reporting.

The flipside of the coin is that being talked about is likely to heighten a player’s reputation and confidence. So much so that reputation sometimes could kill off an opponent with a glance in their direction. Peter Gade’s endorsement of Lee Chong Wei since the Thomas Cup only enhances the Malaysian’s chances at the Olympics. Lin Dan receives a lot media focus, and his lack of maturity is in not sufficiently acknowledging the benefit of this.
In this age of the Internet, everyone online is influential and responsible, not just the media.

More has been written and read about the latest TUC and Olympics than before. Most of us cannot be at every tournament yet we comment about players as though we know them. What people read informs their knowledge and opinions, and now they are also reading each other because of the power to self-publish. There is a momentum to every strand. It is impossible to pinpoint the cause and effect but every net citizen who makes a comment on a blog or bulletin board has had a hand in adding pressure towards the outcome, just like our carbon footprints on the environment.

People will refer back to the TUC when discussing the Olympics because it was the last high stakes occasion where a vista of top athletes gathered. There are clearly resurgent nations and players with something to prove to their national associations.

In clinching this year’s Thomas and Uber Cups, China, are issuing a reminder that their troops are "big point" players. When backed into a corner, they can summon extraordinary mental fortitude during the toughest situations on the court. Other nations have to survive a gauntlet of Chinese resistance to make their way to a gold medal. The Chinese themselves do not sound complacent. The TUC is not a talisman so they will be striving for gold too. Bear in mind sometimes only one Chinese representation is enough to win, as in mixed doubles at Athens.

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