2002 Asiad boxers to prove their worth<\/p>\n
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Indonesia's boxing hopefuls for the 2002 Asian Games are set to
\nprove if they still deserve places on the squad when they take
\npart in the Asian Boxing Championships in Kuala Lumpur next week.<\/p>\n
Bonyx Saweho (48kg), Willem Papilaya (63.5kg) and Bara Gomies
\n(71kg) are currently at a training camp for the Asian Games in
\nBusan, South Korea, and they are aware that if they flop again as
\nthey did in Bangkok in February they could face elimination.<\/p>\n
\"They must take two wins in their respective classes, which
\nmeans bronze,\" Didiet Sudijoto, the deputy secretary general of
\nthe Indonesian Amateur Boxing Federation (Pertina), told The
\nJakarta Post here on Thursday.<\/p>\n
But asked if they would stand for any failures, Didiet said,
\n\"We will leave the matter to KONI (National Sports Council) to
\ndecide.\"<\/p>\n
KONI has 130 tentative athletes at the training camp to
\ncompete in 18 events, including boxing.<\/p>\n
Asked if they would take the initiative themselves to remove
\ntheir unsuccessful boxers in Kuala Lumpur, Didiet said, \"We won't
\nadopt such an extreme judgment that a loss means elimination.<\/p>\n
\"If they lose, we will evaluate how they lose and how tough
\ntheir opponents were.\"<\/p>\n
\"Do they lose on points or are they knocked out? That should
\nbe taken into consideration when we assess their prospect for the
\nnext challenge in the Asian Games,\" said Didiet, who will lead
\nthe team himself.<\/p>\n
At the King's Cup in Bangkok, only Bara fared particularly
\nwell, finishing with a bronze. The remaining team members,
\nincluding the already-dumped Stevie Binalay, fell in the early
\nstages.<\/p>\n
For the Malaysian event, which will be held in Seremban about
\n60 kilometers northwest of Kuala Lumpur from June 18 to 26,
\nPertina has decided to include young boxers -- Arenaldo Moniaga
\nand Melky Lelemboto -- on the team.<\/p>\n
The two were picked among six candidates from a two-day
\nselection box-off, which ended on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\"We simply want to give them an opportunity to fight on an
\ninternational level,\" Didiet said.<\/p>\n
While saying that good results from the younger fighters were
\nexpected at the Vietnam 2003 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, Didiet
\ndid not rule out a chance of them being included in the Asian
\nGames training, if they box well.<\/p>\n
Arenaldo, a 17-year-old from Jakarta, will compete in the 51
\nkilogram (112 pound) class, while 19-year-old Melky, from Manado,
\nNorth Sulawesi, will fight in the 54 kilogram (119 pound) weight
\ndivision.<\/p>",
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