I hope young athletes can imitate my good side only, not the bad side.
— Taufik Hidayat
There is talk that badminton may not make it as a sport in the 2020 Olympics. We must bear in mind that other sports are strongly lobbying to be included.
Sports in Indonesia aren't being supported by the government. The rewards you get as a young player don't match the effort you put in. I want to be different from other athletes, if not better, and I want to make something good out of my profile and help the younger players have opportunities.
My parents told me either I choose badminton, or school has to make the best of me.
The Indonesian brands aren't interested in sports people, only movie stars, because they can get more exposure in the media.
I hope the BWF (Badminton World Federation) will seriously do something about the Olympic qualifying format or risk getting badminton dropped from the Games.
Now, they hold the World Cup every year, so it's like any Super Series. It's boring. To me, it's very boring. I think the players will always attend the World Cup. But for the fans, and also for most players, the Olympics and Asian Games will become more important. Nobody will look forward to the World Cup with anticipation.
Rejuvenation of younger players should be the job of the Indonesian Badminton Association. But local competitions will help identify new talent.
The PBSI (Indonesian Badminton Association) have to work harder to widen the pool and find quality players. The present indifferent culture has to change.
