PBSI Denies Lack Of Money To Send Athletes To International Tournaments

General Chairperson of PP PBSI Agung Firman Sampurna (Photo: PBSI)

JAKARTA – PBSI has denied accusations related to the financial problems they are facing. It is suspected that the badminton organization's parent finances are in trouble.

The news made PP PBSI General Chair Agung Firman Sampurna speak up on Tuesday, January 11. He said that what was circulating was not true because at this time the finances of the organization he led were not in trouble.

“Our finances are very good at the moment. Not only good, but our contracts with the two main sponsors are four years,” Agung Firman said in a release received by VOI.

Financial problems are strongly suspected to be the cause of PBSI's inability to dispatch athletes to a number of international championships. Last December, Pelatnas athletes failed to go to the World Championships in Huelva, Spain.

Later this month they also missed the ongoing India Open. In that tournament, Indonesia was only represented by athletes outside the National Training Center, including Hendra Setiawan and his teammate in the men's doubles, Mohammad Ahsan, and Tommy Sugiarto.

At the last World Championships, Indonesian players were absent due to health problems. That's because of the increasing cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

"How is the story that we don't have the funds just to send players abroad. To hold a championship such as the Indonesia Badminton Festival (IBF) in Bali and the funds were tens of times bigger, they could afford it. Cook only sends players who can't afford it," said Agung.

PBSI regularly receives funding from the government every year. In addition, they also began to be flooded with sponsors after the successful implementation of the IBF international tournament in Bali some time ago.

Agung emphasized that sponsors who work with the sports parent he leads should not regulate the organization's internal affairs. Sponsors cannot interfere with PBSI which has a position as an operator as well as a regulator.

"Please, those who want to participate in corporate branding, will be given the widest opportunity to anyone," he said.