Jakarta: Indonesia remained optimistic it will emerge as the group champion in the Badminton Asian Team Championship (BATC) to be held in Hyderabad, India, from February 15-21.
The championship will serve as a qualifier for teams to earn a ticket to the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup finals scheduled in Kunshan, China from May 15 to 22.
“We were drawn into the same group with Taiwan, Thailand and Maldives. We are confident that we can emerge as the group champion,” said Achmad Budiharto, team manager for Indonesia’s 2016 Thomas Cup and Uber Cup squads.
Budiharto however admitted that Taiwanese players like Chou Tien Chen in men’s singles and Lee Sheng Mu/Tsai Chia Hsin in men’s doubles are players who could pose a threat to the Indonesian men’s team.
In regards to the women’s team, Budiharto was rather more conservative on his expectation of Indonesia’s chances in the Uber Cup qualification round.
“We were grouped together with South Korea in Group C, and the South Korean team will be our potential difficult opponents,” said Budiharto.
“South Korea is a strong and well-balanced team, with Sung Ji-Hyun in the women’s single event and Chang Ye Na/Lee So He in the women’s double,” added Budiharto.
“Nevertheless, I am convinced our players would put up their best performance,” said Budiharto.
Following are the drawing results for the Badminton Asian Team Championship (BATC) in Hyderabad, India:
Men’s Team:
Group A: China, India, Singapore
Group B: Japan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Nepal
Group C: Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Maldives
Group D: Korea, Hong Kong, the Philippines
Women’s Team:
Group A: China, Malaysia, Hong Kong
Group B: Thailand, Taiwan, Sri Lanka
Group C: Korea, Indonesia, Maldives
Group D: Japan, India, Singapore.
