Badminton

JAKARTA: A scheduling row marred preparations for the elite Thomas and Uber Cup championships yesterday after Indonesia threatened a boycott and the Netherlands blasted the poor organisation.

The incident was sparked by Indonesia, who were unhappy that they would have to play the Netherlands and Japan, both considered tough rivals, on the same day in the women???s Uber Cup team championship.

According to the Jakarta Post newspaper, they threatened to walk out of the event that they are hosting.

???We threatened to boycott the tournament should Indonesia be required to play twice on one day,??? said Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) official Gandhi Sulistyanto.

???I protested because the information was unclear.???

The Badminton World Federation caved in and altered the schedule so Indonesia plays Japan tomorrow and the Netherlands the following day.

But this has infuriated the Dutch team, which said it would lodge a protest as they are now forced to play twice on Monday.

???It was a ridiculous (decision),??? Netherlands head coach Martijn van Dooremalen told the newspaper.

???They told me only an hour after I arrived at the hotel. The rescheduling requires a change in strategy and the team???s line-up for each match. We will protest on Saturday to the referees,??? he added.

Twelve countries are competing for the Uber Cup which starts on Sunday, with China defending their title as they fine-tune preparations for the Olympics.

The Thomas Cup, the men???s equivalent, is played concurrently with China also the team to beat in this tournament. ??? AFP