Ferdinand Alexander "Ferry" Sonneville (3 January 1931 – 20 November 2003) was an Indonesian

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players pe ...

player noted for his touch, consistency, tactical astuteness, and coolness under pressure. He won numerous international singles titles from the mid-1950s through the early 1960s and his clutch performances helped

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

to win its first three

Thomas Cup The Thomas Cup, sometimes called the World Men's Team Championships, is an international badminton competition among teams representing member nations of the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport's global governing body. The championships h ...

(men's world team) titles consecutively in

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...

, and

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

, setting the pattern for his country's continued formidable presence in world badminton. Sonneville's playing career ended on a sour note in the

1967 Thomas Cup The 1967 Thomas Cup was the seventh tournament of Thomas Cup, the most important men's badminton team competition in the world. The inter-zone matches and Challenge Round finale were held in Jakarta, Indonesia. Malaysia won its fourth title after ...

final in

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

when, past his prime, he was roundly booed by his countrymen after dropping singles matches in Indonesia's controversial loss to

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. After his high-level playing days ended Sonneville was elected to terms as both president of the

International Badminton Federation The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the international governing body for the sport of badminton recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It was founded in 1934 as the International Badminton Federation (IBF) with nine member ...

(now

World Badminton Federation The World Badminton Federation is a former badminton organization, it was founded in February 1978 and ceased its operation on May 26, 1981 after it merged with the International Badminton Federation (now known as Badminton World Federation or BWF). ...

) and president of the Badminton Association of Indonesia (

PBSI The Badminton Association of Indonesia or Persatuan Bulutangkis Seluruh Indonesia ( id, Persatuan Bulutangkis Seluruh Indonesia; sometimes translated as ''All Indonesia Badminton Association'') is the sport governing body, governing body of badmint ...

Private life

Sonneville inherited his sports talents from his parents. His father was Dirk Jan Sonneville (1906-1944), a local tennis champion in the 1930s, and Leonij Elisabeth de Vogel (later Hubeek) (1908-1989), a badminton champion between 1935 and 1945, who taught him the game in the 1940s. His father was a brigade major of the

Royal Netherlands East Indies Army The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army ( nl, Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger; KNIL, ) was the military force maintained by the Kingdom of the Netherlands in its colony of the Dutch East Indies, in areas that are now part of Indonesia. The ...

in the war and was executed by the Japanese.Dirk Jan Sonneville
at oorlogsgravenstichting.nl Sonneville married Yvonne Theresia de Wit in September 1954 and had 3 children, called Ferdinand Rudy Jr. (who died at the age of 21), Genia Theresia, and Cynthia Guedolyn. Sonneville also had two grandchildren. His religion was Catholic.

Education

Erasmus University Erasmus University Rotterdam (abbreviated as ''EUR'', nl, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam ) is a public research university located in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The university is named after Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus, a 15th-century humanist ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Sports career

Jiujitsu Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdu ...

Athlete and coach (1949–1955) * Playing captain or coach when Indonesia won or successfully defended

(world team badminton championships) 3 times in succession (

, and

). * Winning Malaysia Open (1955), Dutch Open (1956, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962), Scotland's World Invitational Tourney (1957),

French Open The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ven ...

(1957, 1960), German Open (1958, 1960, 1961), Canadian Open (1962), U.S. Open (1962), along with runner-up finish at the All England Championships (1959) * PB PBSI's founder (1951) and

Komite Olahraga Nasional Indonesia The National Sports Committee of Indonesia ( id, Komite Olahraga Nasional Indonesia, abbreviated KONI) is the sports governing body of Indonesia. It was founded in 1946 to unite the various satellite sports associations that was created within the ...

's founder (1966) * KONI's President (1970) * Member of staff

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...

Federation Council (1970) * Chef de Mission Indonesian contingent to

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

(1971) * International Federation Badminton president (1971–1974) *

's President (1981–1985)

Achievements

Asian Games

''Men's singles''

International Open Tournaments (16 titles, 11 runners-up)

''Men's singles'' ''Men's doubles'' ''Mixed doubles''

Business career

* Vayatour Chairman Executive Board Lippo Cikarang * Ferry Sonneville & Co – owner * Chairman of Realestat Indonesia Center Council 1986-1989 periods * President and member of the Executive Committee Realestat Internasional Federation since 1989 * Advisory Council Chairman – International Executive Service

Educational career

* Pioneer of Trisakti Foundation represent Lembaga Pembinaan Kesatuan Bangsa * Founder of Himpunan Pembina Perguruan Tinggi Swasta * Founder of Asosiasi Perguruan Tinggi Katholik Indonesia * Special Citizen and member of Atma Jaya Foundation * Member of Fatmawati Foundation * Member of Bhakti Medika Foundation * Member of Penyandang Anak Cacat Foundation * Member of Gedung Arsip Nasional Foundation * Indonesian Nederland Forum

Honours

* Satya Lencana Kebudayaan (1961) * Tanda Jasa Bintang RI Kelas II (1964) * "Knighthood" from

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

(1972) * FIABCI Medal of Honour,

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

(1988).

References

Sources

* PBSI, DPP REI, Kompas 21/11/03, Media Indonesia 21/11/03/, Sinar Harapan 20/11/03/, Pikiran Rakyat 21/11/03

External links

Pahlawan Olahraga Indonesia
(In Indonesian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Sonneville, Ferry 1931 births 2003 deaths Indonesian male badminton players Indonesian Roman Catholics Indo people Indonesian people of Dutch descent Erasmus University Rotterdam alumni Asian Games medalists in badminton Badminton players at the 1962 Asian Games People from Batavia, Dutch East Indies Sportspeople from Jakarta Asian Games gold medalists for Indonesia Asian Games bronze medalists for Indonesia Medalists at the 1962 Asian Games Badminton executives and administrators