Activities Restricted By Quarantine Rules, Indonesian Badminton Team Eager To Practice In Hotel Rooms

Women's singles badminton player Stephanie Widjaja (PR PBSI)

JAKARTA – Having to undergo quarantine does not seem to have hindered the Indonesian team's preparation for the 2022 Asian Team Badminton Championships. They have the option of practicing independently in the room where they are staying.

The Indonesian team left for Kuala Lumpur on Monday, February 7 yesterday. When they got there, their activities were immediately limited by the country's quarantine rules, so they couldn't leave the room.

Even though they had to languish in their room, Gregoria Mariska Tunjung and her friends did not lose their enthusiasm for training according to the material given by the physical trainer Yansen Alpine via video in the WhatsApp group.

"This training activity in each room is aimed at relaxing the muscles after yesterday the athlete flew from Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur and followed various stages of health protocol administration," said Yansen in an official statement received by VOI.

"Besides that, there are also conditioning exercises with gymnastic movements using the tabata method to maintain the condition and followed by cooling down," he continued.

Women's singles badminton player Stephanie Widjaja admitted that practicing in her room was not free for her. However, he still tried his best to run the program from the coach.

"Today, my team and I are still in quarantine after arriving in Malaysia. Because I haven't been able to leave my room for the next five days, the physical trainer gave me an exercise program. I will train to the maximum, eat well, and get enough rest," said Stephanie.

The results of the Badminton Asia Team Championship draw have been completed on Tuesday, February 8. Both the men's and women's teams will face tough challenges because they are in the same group with South Korea.

The draw results put the Indonesian men's team into Group A along with India, South Korea, and Hong Kong. Meanwhile, Group B is filled with Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Kazakhstan.

In the women's sector, the Indonesian team led by Gregoria was included in Group Z with South Korea, Hong Kong, and Kazakhstan, while Group Y was filled with Japan, India, and Malaysia.

The tournament, which will qualify for the Thomas and Uber Cups, will take place on February 15-20. Indonesia came as the defending champion in the men's team sector after winning the 2020 edition after defeating Malaysia in the final.