Tan Joe Hok Indonesia’s Badminton Pioneer
Tan Joe Hok made history half a century ago. He was the first Indonesian badminton player to become an All England champion and win an Asian Games gold. Along with six other shuttlers—Ferry Sonneville, Eddy Yusuf, Olich Solihin, Lie Po Djian, Tan King Gwan, and Njoo Kim Bie—Tan also brought the Thomas Cup to the country for the first time .
He is now 72. Retired from badminton for decades, Tan has struggled in another field: tearing down the wall of discrimination that left him feeling sidelined and at the same time forgotten.
Amid meager achievements today, Indonesia’s badminton circles need to reflect on the story of Tan. To Tempo, he relates his colorful biography.
September 29, 2009
I WAS born in the wrong era. Unlike in the present time with everything available, I started practicing badminton under severe limitations. I had no rackets, nor were there cemented badminton courts either, while a long distance had to be covered by bicycle for club exercises. And when I was first appointed as one of the team members for the Thomas Cup, I went to Jakarta’s Kemayoran Airport by becak (pedicab).
It’s the story of Tan Joe Hok.
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