Jonatan Christie’s 01.00 Asian Games match prompted scheduling protest
PBSI said a request to add one day to the badminton competition could not be accommodated, while officials also ruled out changing courts.
Jonatan Christie had to contest his Asian Games 2026 last-16 badminton match at 01.00 despite Indonesia’s PBSI raising objections over the delay, its head of development and performance, Eng Hian, said.
At an interview at the Cipayung national training centre on 7 October, Eng Hian said organisers had approached the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) before badminton play began to seek an additional day for the competition. The extension was not possible, he said.
PBSI had also asked why Christie’s match against Viren Nettasinghe could not be shifted to one of the vacant neighbouring courts. According to Eng Hian, officials said a match scheduled on a television court could not move to another television court. He said many others had complained, but organisers and the referee maintained that the time allotted by the OCA was not open to further negotiation.
Christie beat Sri Lanka’s Nettasinghe 15-21, 21-13, 21-15 in the early-hours match, then had a brief rest before meeting Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew in the quarter-finals. Loh ended Christie’s run with a 14-21, 19-21 defeat.
Alwi Farhan earned Indonesia a bronze medal in the Asian Games 2026 men’s singles event.
