He was a leading member of the Surinamese Badminton Association. (SBB) and deeply involved in the ins and outs of his beloved sport. Anyone who has been active in badminton in Suriname sooner or later came into contact with this badminton guru of yesteryear who has been active in badminton for more than five decades. Former top player, national champion, youth coach, SBB national trainer and coach, official and long-term chairman of the badminton club Tan Na Fesi (TNF)
National top player, formidable opponent
Arti Otmar Kersout and his older brother Kenneth were active as young teachers in the rice district Nickerie when they came into contact with badminton at the local Chinese club “Beat it All”. Arti was already 19 years old when he started, certainly not a youth. But the brothers became fascinated with the sport with the feather ball and, upon their return to the city in 1968, continued to develop their skills at the Chinese association Tsang Ngen Foei (TNF) where they trained very hard. Arti became a formidable opponent in Suriname both in singles, but also mainly in doubles with partner the late Roel Sjauw Mook and mixed doubles.
Roel Sjauw Mook and Arti Kersout won the National doubles title in 1973, 1976, 1978 and 1988. 1978 was really a top year for Arti, when he achieved the triple championship badminton in Suriname by also winning the men’s singles title and the mixed doubles game with Sonja Leckie. It would turn out to be his only National men’s single A title, due to the fact that in the years before he had to tolerate older “cracks”, men like Romeo Caster and Walther Illes and in the years that followed, young talents such as Mike van Daal and Hedwig. de la Fuente. Arti won several national semi-championships and every year, especially in the doubles, he was certainly taken into account as a formidable opponent. In 2006 he became National Men’s Single Champion in the B-Class at a later veteran age.
Arti also made his mark at the National Club Championships. With his club TNF he fought for the title against the strong Magic Stars for several years. In 1975 and 1976 TNF managed to beat the formidable Magic Stars and take the National Club title. And also from 1979 to 1984 TNF was national champion in the league with Arti in their ranks. Next, Arti won the Dutch big league title twice as a player with his TNF in 1987 and 1988.
International that helped put Suriname on the map at the Carebaco Games
That Arti Kersout belonged to the top badminton in Suriname is also evident from the fact that he was chosen for years in a row as a selection player of the National badminton team to defend the Surinamese colors. Already in 1974, 1975 and 1976, Arti caused a sensation, by winning the Caribbean men’s doubles title at the Carebaco Games in Georgetown, Guyana (’74), Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago (’75) together with Roel Sjauw Mook for three consecutive years. and Kingston, Jamaica (’76). Especially the last title with a victory over the strong Jamaica in the lion’s den can be considered a downright stunt. After all, Jamaica was usually also the boss in the country team competitions in those years Suriname. After the Carebaco Games in Aruba in 1977 did not progress, Roel and Arti had to settle for the semi-championship men’s doubles a year later when Suriname was the host country of the 1978 Carebaco Games. They lost the final at home in the Ismay van Wilgen Sports Hall to the Jamaicans Brian Haddad and Victor Zaidie.
In 1979 at the Carebaco games in Aruba, Otmar Kersout was eliminated in the single semifinal and had to settle for bronze, while Jamaican George Hugh won the title for the second time. In that year, his regular doubles partner Roel Sjauw Mook chose to double with his brother Emanuel Sjauw Mook, but this Surinamese couple also had to recognize their superior in the final in a Jamaican duo George Hugh and Sammy Leyow. A year later in 1980 at the Carebaco Games in Georgetown, Guyana, the technical management of the Surinamese selection decided to try out yet another duo, now Arti Kersout with the younger Emanuel Sjauw Mook, but this duo also lost in the men’s doubles final of the Jamaican duo Tommy Lee and Sammy Leyow. Between 1972 and 1980 the Surinamese team became no less than 8 times semi-champion in the Carebaco country team competitions behind Jamaica. The other Caribbean countries such as Trinidad, Guyana, Aruba and Curaçao were often put aside with playful ease by the Surinamese team. An achievement for which one would sign up for in advance.
Successful Surinamese badminton trainer and national coach
Except as a player, Otmar Kersout may have left his mark even more as a badminton trainer, grandmaster and coach. Several players at TNF have learned their first badminton strokes from uncle “Arti”. Players with talent and commitment soon received extra private training from him to become even better. This is how he produced several TNF toppers. Together with his old double partner Roel Sjauw Mook, he formed the technical heart of the club. The influence of these club trainers turned out to be so strong that they were both appointed as national trainers by the Surinamese Badminton Association in different periods.
Their positive, tight and successful approach, together with another National coach, the late Erwin Pollard, led in the eighties and nineties to a whole growth of new talented National selection players for Suriname. In 1988 Arti was one of the national trainers of the Surinamese Carebaco team that won all five individual Carebaco titles with the seniors for the first time ever at home in Suriname.
National coach with the first Surinamese international badminton success outside Carebaco
In 1990 Arti Kersout was head coach and national coach together with team manager and chairman of the SBB Mike van Daal personally responsible for Suriname’s first international badminton success outside the Caribbean and Carebaco.
With a new young youth team consisting of five players, for the first time on behalf of Suriname in Guatemala participated in the Pan American badminton youth championships. And to everyone’s surprise this team came home with a silver medal won by two protégés of Arti, Letitia Wongsodimedjo and the late Thalitia Sjauw Mook in the girls’ double U-19 section. This opened a door for all subsequent Surinamese badminton internationals who achieved successes at the CACSO Games, Pan Am and South American badminton championships.
Badminton grandmaster who passed on his skills to his son
After having already achieved various successes as a trainer with the Surinamese badminton team, a new challenge for Arti came his way in the mid-nineties. After all, his young son Mitchel Wongsodikromo turned out to have exceptional badminton talent and to excel at a young age under the guidance of father Arti. Mitchel became one of the youngest youth champions of Suriname ever and, under the watchful eye of trainer, coach and father, grew into one of the most successful badminton internationals in Suriname with double titles at the Carebaco and Suriname International, as well as bronze medals at the CACSO and South American (Odesur) Games. My son Mitchel has won more than twenty National titles with the seniors in all disciplines.
At the 1st Suriname International 1998 Arti took his 14-year-old son under his wing by participating with him as a doubles partner in the men’s doubles. This was Mitchel’s first international appearance with the seniors.
Badminton Stonfutu who remained loyal to his club TNF
After experiencing all the heyday years of his club TNF, Arti remained loyal to his club through good and bad times. After the years in Kong Ngie Tong Tsang, TNF moved to ABO and then to the NATIN Sports Hall. Accommodation and resources became poorer and scarcer, but Arti never gave up. As chairman of this club for many years, he changed the name from the Chinese Tsang Ngen Foei to the current Tan Na Fesi over the years.
He continued to cultivate young talent, players such as Carolyn Davids, Priscille Tjitrodipo, Irfan Djabar, Jill Sjauw Mook, Crystal Leefmans, the Toney brothers, Quennie Pawirosemito, Dylan Darmohoetomo, Shemara Lindveld, Lilièn Tjioe and many others were guided by the ever-patient teacher Otmar Kersout, who spent hours in the sports hall. While others, led by his old matties, the Sjauw Mook brothers founded their own social club PUFF “Poer Advanced Fer Feri”, from which later the current club PFF the Perfect Flying Feathers was created, Arti TNF remained loyal to a large group of young people.
Together with his family, son Mitchel of course, but also his faithful companion and other half Mien and daughter Hertine, who took over the organization behind the scenes, Arti continued to run the club as chairman. That this approach proved successful despite the scarce resources through hard work and loyal commitment, can be seen from the many club championships that TNF then won in the Dutch big league in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015, as well as in the 1st Division B in 2014, also in the U21 A class in 2001, but also especially among the youth in 2005, 2006, 2011, 2014, 2015 and 2016, always in the U-17 class.
Countless individual titles in the National Badminton Circuit have been awarded to his players. Too many to mention. And Arti did not only work for players from his own club, but anyone who was interested could come and train under his inspiring leadership. Technique and fitness were paramount, so if you didn’t show any commitment or made sense you could of course go again, no one was forced. Once you trained with Arti you had to listen of course! “Keep the racket up”, “don’t give up”, “why don’t you listen, see this is how you have to hit the shuttle” keep applying your learned techniques to be able to beat your opponent with a good tactic. The credo of the badminton master. As a good coach, Arti was also able to observe opponents for hours in the sports hall to come up with a good tactic together with his players to beat these opponents.
Grand Master knighted in the Honorary Order of the Yellow Star in 2006
The years of efforts of Otmar Kersout as a teacher at school as well as trainer in the badminton sports hall did not go unnoticed in the Surinamese community. For example, at the age of 60, Arti was appropriately knighted in 2006 by the Surinamese President Venetian as Grand Master of the Honorary Order of the Yellow Star. Exactly in the year that, at the age of sixty, he just became National Men’s Singles Champion of Suriname in the B-Class. The old grandmaster had not yet forgotten his tricks on the track and younger opponents who could be his children or grandchildren had to take it.
On January 6, 2021, a month and a half before his 75th birthday, the old badminton grandmaster took a rest. Gran tangi Arti, waka bung, for you the Surinamese badminton community proudly keeps every badminton racket high.
Nardi Soerodimedjo
Freelance Badminton Reporter
Surinamese Badminton Association
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