By Agnes Winarti

Jakartans are known for their keen interest in playing badminton, but the lack of space in the city is making it difficult for them to play just for fun.

Not everyone has access to badminton facilities, which are often expensive.

Gemstone vendor and badminton fan, Abdul Rozi, feels this reality.

"Although many people like the game, there's not much space for it in the city. If people want to play badminton for free, they can only use parking lots at district and subdistrict offices," said Abdul, who pays Rp 75,000 (US$8) for a three-hour session in a private sports hall near his shop in Rawabening, East Jakarta.

Rahel, a resident of Pondok Kopi, East Jakarta, said she lost interest in playing the game after the spacious yard where she used to play with her dad had been turned into a house.

"When I was still a kid, I used to play there against my dad every weekend. It's been a long time since I played badminton; the last time was probably when I was in junior high school," said the 28-year-old.

She said most of the land was now used for housing.

Rahel said back in the days of her badminton enthusiasm she used to watch local tournaments next to the neighborhood's graveyard. "But I'm not that into the game anymore," she said.

When asked whether she was interested in playing the game in a rented sports hall, she said "No. I prefer to play on the street with friends and neighbors. I feel more like we're socializing that way."

Harsuki, a professor in recreational sport at the Jakarta State University (UNJ) in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, said Monday "The space for playing badminton has been diminishing in recent years. A lot of the space is now used for buildings and houses."

Harsuki said his research from 1973 found there were only 0.3 square meters of space per capita left for holding sporting activities in South Jakarta alone.

He compared his findings with German cities, where administrations are obliged to designate 3 square meters per capita for sporting activities.

"Sport is the last priority in our city administration's plan," he said.

Harsuki said "Recreational sport is important because it is the first step in developing professional athletes.

The more opportunities people have to play, the more they will like the game, which will inspire more people to achieve in the sport."

There are not enough affordable public sports halls, he said.

"It is a challenge for both the Badminton Association of Indonesia and the city's youth and sports agency. They need to provide more facilities, as well as coaching."

Harsuki said during the governorship of Ali Sadikin, who passed away on May 20, sports halls for youths were built in each of Jakarta's five municipalities.

"Most people who could not afford to pay for expensive private sports halls used the government ones," he said.

A sports hall established in 1974 in East Jakarta, run by the city's sport and youth agency, was almost vacant for most of the day.

"We only welcome 20 visitors at most at night, although we only charge Rp 5,000 per court for two hours of playtime," said Sarmada, who works at the hall.

"Those who come here are usually older men going home from work. No youngsters play badminton here, except those kampung children who ask to play for free once in a while," he said.

"The young ones are probably more interested in other newer sports halls because they're in better condition," he said.

"Our parquet court floors are old, and every time visitors finish playing here, we have to glue them back together," Sarmada said.

The origins of badminton

The name "badminton" was taken from the name of a palace, Badminton House, in Gloucestershire, some 200 kilometers west of London, England.

The owner of the palace, the Duke of Beaufort, and his family popularized the game in the 19th century. However, he was not the inventor of badminton.

It is believed the game originated in India and was then popularized by the Duke of Beaufort in England in 1874.

The rules of badminton were reportedly written down in the 1870s in India.

Before the year 1900, badminton was introduced to Ireland and Scotland.

In 1907, the game reached English colonies, like South Africa, British Columbia (Canada), the Falkland Islands (the Malvinas Islands) and New York.

In the 1920s, badminton had spread to Northern Europe, North America and Asia, including Malaya (Malaysia and Singapore), as well as the East Indies (Indonesia).

Source: www.bulutangkis.com (The Jakarta Post)