Swiss Open champion shuttler to beat in SEAG

Good news for the RP badminton team competing in the 23rd SEA Games which the country is hosting Nov. 27 to Dec. 5: Athens Olympic gold medalist Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia might not play.

The bad news is 2005 Swiss Open champion Hafiz Hashim of Malaysia will.

"It depends on our sports officials because they might send our junior players instead of the senior team like what they did in the last SEA Games in Vietnam," Hidayat, 24, said through an interpreter in a press briefing at the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel.

"But I would really like to return here and win a SEA Games gold again," added the 1999 Brunei SEAG gold medal winner.

"I’m currently No. 2 in Malaysia. If I stay No. 2, I might return here for the SEA Games," said the tall, 23-year-old Hashim, winner of the 2003 All-England Cup, considered the third toughest tournament in the world.

Hidayat and Hashim, immensely popular not only in the Asian region but the whole world because of their deadly mix of talent and good looks, are in the country to conduct some training, interviews, exhibition matches and autograph signing sessions courtesy of Yonex Sunrise.

Hidayat, who has visited the Philippines four times before, also noticed how popular the sport has become in the country.

"I’m happy that badminton is becoming more popular in the Philippines and I know this will help your players a lot," observed the five-time Indonesian Open champion, who thinks Kennevic Asuncion is the best RP player.

Asuncion, ranked 82nd in the world, has the best chance to contend for a SEAG medal at the end of the year and, possibly, match, if not surpass, the country’s only badminton medal in SEAG, a bronze in the mixed doubles with sister Kenny in the 2003 Hanoi Games.

Hidayat, who admits having problems with badminton officials back home, also advised Filipino shuttle cockers to make sacrifices if they want to become an Olympic champion like himself someday.

"If you want to become Olympic champion, you have to sacrifice everything. Just concentrate on playing, with all your heart," said Hidayat, who is also in hot pursuit of an All-England and World Championship title and a second Olympic gold in the 2008 edition in Beijing, China.

"I’ve given up soccer, which is then my favorite sport, to focus on playing badminton," the Indon added.

For Hashim, who also topped a tournament in Thailand early this year, it’s all about discipline.

"I practice a lot. Discipline is also important," he said.