Ivan Kolev arrives in Jayapura to coach Persipura soccer club

Former Bulgarian national team coach Ivan Kolev is the new coach of Persipura soccer club in Jayapura, Papua.
Kolev, who arrived at Sentani Airport in Jayapura on Sunday, along with his wife Valentina Kolev, received a traditional welcome dance from the club’s officials.
“It’s a surprise for me to have a warm welcome from the club,” Kolev told reporters following his arrival.
“Hopefully, I can do my best for the club in near future,” he added.
Persipura’s welcome committee chairman Benhur Tomy Mano said that Kolev had received special treatment different to that of previous coaches, as the club wants the best from Kolev, who also once trained Myanmar’s national soccer team.
“This is the first time we did the welcome dance since we hope for the best result from the best thing we could deliver,” Mano told reporters.
Mano added that the club hoped that Kolev could repeat the team’s success
last year, when it topped
the Indonesian Soccer League under coach Rahmad Darmawan.
Persipura finished second in the Copa Dji Sam
Soe -national championship
this year.
Kolev is expected start selecting players for the team from Nov. 1. — JP/Nethy Dharma Somba

Indonesia strikes gold in badminton worlds

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia took two titles in the US$250,000 IBF World Cup badminton championships in Yiyang, China, while the host country took the other three of the five titles.
Indonesian men’s doubles Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan trounced Malaysian duo Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari and Lin Woon Fui in the finals 21-19, 21-13.
This was the second recent win for the fifth-seeded Indonesian players, who won the Hong Kong Open last month.
Another Indonesian powerhouse, mixed doubles pair Nova Widianto and Lilyana Natsir, also beat the Chinese team, winning over champions Xie Zhongbo and Zhang Yawen 21-16, 21-18.
The former world champions only needed 50 minutes to beat the Chinese Olympic champions to make their 5-1 lifetime record in six meets.
The Chinese only won one title in the Indonesia Open in June.
China had already secured the three titles before Saturday’s finals, all-Chinese clashes, as reported by Xinhua.net.
World number one Lin Dan took the men’s singles after beating Chen Yu 21-19, 19-21, 21-17.
In the women’s singles Wang Yihan upset two-time world champ and defending champ Xie Xingfang 21-18, 21-19, for the second time within two weeks to secure the first title of her career.
The women’s doubles crown went to Gao Ling and Huang Sui following a 21-19, 21-6 victory over compatriots Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen.