JAKARTA, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia would send 36 badminton players in the 2019 All England, setting a target to seize champion title in men's doubles, an Indonesia Badminton Association (PBSI) official said here on Monday.
PBSI Sport Development deputy director Susi Susanti said that actually the association previously set two titles in men's doubles and mixed doubles for the international championship slated for March 6 to 10 in Birmingham.
The target was revised due to recent resignation of Indonesia's top female mixed doubles player Lilyana Natsir from her badminton career.
Together with Tantowi Ahmad, the Indonesian mixed doubles pair seized All England champion in three consecutive years from 2012 to 2014. The pair also won gold medal in 2016 Rio Olympics.
Indonesia's other mixed doubles pair Debby Susanto/Praveen Jordan won the 2016 All England, but their performance has been up and down since then.
"At least one (All England) title this year. We know our current condition in all groups for sure. We may miss mixed doubles target, but the other one pair has been very capable to fulfill our targets so far and likely to continue further," Susanti said in national badminton training center here.
Indonesia's top seeded men's doubles pair Marcus Fernaldi Gideon/Kevin Sanjaya Sukomuljo seized the All England's last two champions in 2018 and 2017 respectively.
Besides the target, Susi said the federation also expected Indonesian women's singles players to advance further in the upcoming All England tournament.
Indonesian player in women's singles Fitriani won the 2019 Thailand Masters last month.
Susi who earned gold medal in 1992 Barcelona Olympics said even though they played well in each match, Indonesian men's singles players have yet to demonstrate consistent championing outcomes in international tournaments.
