Asiad: Complacency led to poor performance<\/p>\n
Why did Indonesia show a poor performance in the recent Asiad?
\nSports expert Mangombar Ferdinand Siregar attributes it to com
\nplacency. In an interview, this former assistant to the sports
\nminister, with an illustrious 44-year career, says that sports
\nactivities involve many parties, who should act in unison.<\/p>\n
Question: How do you see our performance in the recent Asiad?<\/p>\n
Answer: In sports we use straightforward language. We call a
\nfailure, a failure. We failed to start planing as soon as the
\n1990 Beijing Asian Games were over. At the time, I proposed
\nconcentrating on six sports. It is true that in the span of four
\nyears other sports might emerge too, but there should be a
\ncriterion to measure this.<\/p>\n
Q: Has a criterion been set?<\/p>\n
A: No. And out of the blue we decided to take part in 23 sport
\nevents in Hiroshima. For example, Kenya only takes part in track
\nand field in every Olympics and wins three or four golds. Kenyans
\ncan understand it. And we have not discussed other things such as
\nregeneration of players, or the quality of trainers and coaches.
\nWill KONI (the National Sports Governing Body) and the Ministry
\nof Youth Affairs and Sports provide them with books, or send them
\nfor training abroad? What about their remuneration? Why do we pay
\nUS$5,000 to foreign coaches and Rp 300,000 ($150) to local ones?
\nTheir responsibility is the same. I am no hypocrite and I think
\ncoaches should be well paid. And we haven't talked about managing
\nathletes. They have to be nursed as if they are fighting cocks,
\nmeaning that we need to maintain the quality of their food and
\nearnings.<\/p>\n
Q: It seems that there are so many intermingling factors?<\/p>\n
A: There are. We should never underestimate any of them. The
\nirony is that we are all well aware of this, yet we have failed
\nto pursue them diligently and have chosen to be complacent. We
\nare in the dark about the progress of sports in Asia. Only a week
\nbefore Hiroshima did we realize that six or seven Asian sports
\nhave reached the world level. Can you imagine it? Haven't we read
\nthe newspaper for four years? What have the research and
\ndevelopment people been doing?<\/p>\n
Q: What has gone wrong?<\/p>\n
A: My criticism of our sports scientists is that they have
\nnever translated what they have learned in various seminars
\nabroad into practice. I have one experience. During my days at
\nPBSI (Badminton Association of Indonesia) I found their proposal
\nfor various tests was questionable. So I devised well-proven
\ntests myself as a substitute. Isn't it lamentable?<\/p>\n
Q: Back to the criterion you mentioned earlier. Do you think
\nthat so far KONI has not been transparent enough on this matter?<\/p>\n
A: The criterion should involve things like the ages,
\nmentality, talent, potential and peak performances of the
\nathletes combined with a thorough knowledge about their opponents
\nin order to set up a strategy. A month before Hiroshima we
\nquarreled about who would be going there instead of discussing
\nthe most important thing: What strategy is to be used? Our
\noutlook remains traditional, we are not creative enough. This is
\ndisastrous.<\/p>\n
Q: How could this happen?<\/p>\n
A: Because we felt superior and did not see the need to learn
\nmore. I am well advanced in age and yet I never stop learning.
\nSports is a complex mixture of inter-linking activities. Why?
\nBecause responsibility in this field is formidable. It is for the
\ngood name of the nation. Imagine Qatar, a state with only 500,000
\npeople, is better than us. A half million people we can find in
\nKebayoran Baru, South Jakarta. The more painful fact is that we
\nwere behind Malaysia. I couldn't but question the patriotism of
\nthis bunch of sports patrons and prime movers in afterthought.
\nThis is an injustice to PBSI who fought tooth and nail to win the
\ngold.<\/p>\n
Q: Why could PBSI make it?<\/p>\n
A: I have said: \"Why not learn from PBSI?\" Use it as a model.
\nCopy the good things from PBSI because not everything is rosy in
\nthis association either. I also have said not to let PBSI stay
\nalone at the top. It will crack because its burden is tremendous.
\nIt can't survive unless it is complemented with other top
\nperforming sports. Without such an environment it will crash. It
\nhas been on the top and is inviting other sports to the top as
\nwell. PBSI has shown how to turn athletes into the best
\nprofessional sportsmen in the world. It is a fact. The momentum
\nof Beijing 1990 and Barcelona 1992 has not been exploited by
\nsports activists in Indonesia. And, in sports, unless we have an
\nobsession we are not going anywhere. Hence, it is the love of
\nsports that drives people to devote themselves in this field.
\nThey don't crave anything. Their only wish is to see to it that
\ntheir athletes can win and are better than athletes from other
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
Q: It seems that the majority of patrons or prime movers are
\ngenerals, ministers or tycoons.<\/p>\n
A: This should not pose a problem as long as they have time,
\nlove sports and have the ability to lead, to create an atmosphere
\nof togetherness, and are not patronizing in their approach. Look
\naround and you will know that money is not everything in sports.<\/p>\n
Q: Compared to the 1960s, it seems that there are fewer sports
\nactivities at today's schools?<\/p>\n
A: Yes. So far we have been talking about the \"organizational
\nlane\" of sports with KONI and the sports ministry. Schools are
\nthe \"educational lane\" where the values of sportsmanship are
\ntaught. Young students must learn to win and yet remain
\nrespectful of their opponents, or to loose without breaking down.
\nNow that classes are being held at schools which run in day and
\nnight shifts, the students are left with no playground. And when
\nthey fight in the streets the blame is put on them.<\/p>\n
Q: Do you see a way to create a lively sports program today?<\/p>\n
A: The sports ministry must become the front runner in the
\nwidest sense of the word. It must become a unifying force to
\nconsolidate all the potential and must be able to dampen rifts
\namong sports activists. We no longer have to be engaged in
\nslinging matches. The ministry must be imbued with fresh ideas,
\nnew ways, new motivation, new spirit. It must also be willing to
\ngo out and communicate with KONI and the education ministry
\npeople rather than simply giving instructions. (amd, hbk)<\/p>",
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