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Indonesia: Susi and Alan Resign From National Team

** This NEW SHUTTLENWS report is presented by YANG YANG Badminton Products and their Ontario (Canada) agents - SHAH Enterprises **

September 9, 1999 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - According to news reports published in Jakarta, Susi Susanti and Alan Budi Kusuma, Indonesia's 1992 Olympic gold medalists in women's and men's badminton singles respectively, have resigned from the national badminton team. Susanti who is married to Alan Kusuma formally resigned her place as a player, citing her status as a married woman and a new mother. Kusuma quit his current post as an assistant national coach for men's singles.

Susanti, aged 28, is the winningest women's singles player. She has won at least one title in all the major badminton tournaments except the Asian Games. She gave birth to a baby girl, Lawrencia, in late April this year.

In resigning from the national squad, Susanti said that she would not be able to perform as well as before her pregnancy and did not want to embarass her country by her poor play. However, she said that she would practice with some of the women's singles players at the national training center in Cipayung once in a while.

Kusuma is leaving his coaching position in order to go into business. Susanti said that he felt that he had more responsibility now as the head of a family and that he wanted to go into business in order to be able to take good care of the family.

(yyn/ds)