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Badminton to millions of Indonesians is like football to Europeans or Latin Americans. It is the most popular sport here, played by people in both rural and urban areas.

This year, Indonesia’s world-class shuttlers must practice extra hard as they prepare to compete in China against tough opponents at the prestigious Thomas Cup and Uber Cup tournaments in May, and again in London during the Olympic Games in July.

Badminton has been a favorite sport here since 1958, when Indonesia won the Thomas Cup, the world badminton championship trophy for men’s teams, with a 6-3 victory over Malaya (what would later be Malaysia) in Singapore.

Indonesia retained the championship for nine years until Malaysia took back the Thomas Cup in 1967, when the tournament was held in Jakarta and a referee made a controversial decision to stop the tournament halfway through because of the commotion that was being made by Indonesian supporters.

At the time of the referee’s call, the score was 4-3 in favor of Malaysia. The International Badminton Federation decided to continue the remaining matches in New Zealand. Indonesia’s team did not turn up and Malaysia was declared the winner by a score of 6-3. Three years later, Indonesia beat archrival Malaysia by a convincing score of 7-2.

In the mid 1970s, Indonesia again enjoyed supremacy in badminton when its women’s team won the international tournament and brought the Uber Cup to Jakarta.

In international badminton tournaments for individuals, such as the prestigious All England, Indonesian shuttlers captivated audiences with their speed, power and jump-smash technique.

To name just a few of our badminton heroes, Tan Joe Hok became the first Indonesian to win the men’s singles in 1959, while Surabaya-born Rudy Hartono Kurniawan was the first badminton player ever to win the All England championship eight times, with seven consecutive wins between 1968 and 1974, which earned him a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Indonesia also won its first Olympic gold medal from badminton in 1992 when Susi Susanti and Alan Budikusuma won the women’s and men’s singles in Barcelona.

Unfortunately, Indonesia’s glory in badminton has faded as it has been unable to groom young players who are able to step up and take over from the veterans. To create would-be champions, both at the regional and national level, the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) needs to actively look for young athletes, organize additional training camps and hold more tournaments.

Finding a constant stream of young players is a key factor in a sport like badminton, where physical strength is a prerequisite, especially during a rubber game. This has been amply demonstrated in matches where Indonesia’s aging shuttlers, despite their experience and skill, were defeated by younger opponents from China, South Korea or Japan because of stamina problems.

Offering more tournaments with attractive bonuses is another way to motivate players to improve their skills . The Indonesia Open series, sponsored by clove cigarette producer Djarum and offering $600,000 in cash prizes last year, effectively encouraged top foreign shuttlers to come to Indonesia, giving our players the opportunity to test their skills against the world’s best.

The public’s expectation for Indonesian shuttlers to once again be the best in the world was perhaps best expressed last Wednesday by Zulfadli, a Golkar Party lawmaker at the House of Representatives

“Badminton should get special attention during the [Olympic] preparations compared to other sports,” he said. “If necessary, we can disburse lots of money, because what is important is to regain Indonesia’s glory in badminton.”

And equally important is for players next year to bring home the Sudirman Cup, the world mixed team badminton championship, which has been in the hands of the Chinese shutters for more than seven years. The trophy, invented by Indonesia in 1989 as part of its contribution to the game, was named after Dick Sudirman, a former badminton player and the founder of the PBSI. It was first contested that same year and won by Indonesia.

That turned out to be Indonesia’s only victory. The trophy has since been held by South Korea, which has won three of the biennial competitions, and China, which has won it eight times.

Oei Eng Goan, a former literature lecturer at National University (UNAS) in Jakarta, is a freelance journalist.