Give praise where it's due<\/p>\n
From Kompas<\/p>\n
In the weeks leading up to the Fed Cup tennis meet between
\nIndonesia and Italy, many good words were voiced in official
\nstatements to the press. This was a fresh change from harsh
\nsentiments. I myself always admire the achievements of athletes.<\/p>\n
When I was chairman of the national tennis team board, I
\nreceived many words of appreciation which should rightfully have
\nbeen addressed to the athletes and their trainers. The board was
\nmerely there to ensure the athletes' peace of mind.<\/p>\n
Atet Wiyono, non-playing captain of the Fed Cup team for the
\nItaly tie, said in the July 11 issue of Kompas, \"Wynne Prakusya
\nmade a spectacular appearance at the Fed Cup in New Zealand\".
\nThat is very true. But the achievement of non-playing captain
\nSuharyadi and trainer Sri Utaminingsih was perhaps equally
\nspectacular in motivating Yayuk Basuki, Eny Sulistyowati and
\nMimma Chernovita to make a clean sweep of the matches against
\nseven countries in Zone I Asia\/Oceania.<\/p>\n
I strongly support the adulation of our athletes. Modern
\nsports is built on the star system, the creation of stars to
\ninspire other athletes and attract the support of sponsors. Eric
\nCantona, Ronaldo, Michael Jordan and Martina Hingis have
\ngenerated tens of millions of dollars (hundreds of billions of
\nrupiah) from sponsors so that other professional athletes can
\nalso benefit and achieve.<\/p>\n
The FA Cup, the NBA and professional tennis make progress
\nbecause they create stars, not in the games only, but mainly
\noutside the arena through promotion. Andre Agassi still wallows
\nin sponsorship money even though his ATP Tour ranking is below
\nthat of Yayuk Basuki on the WTA. International sports lives from
\npeople's need for heroes, not from a bureaucratic program. FIFA
\nand ITF provide a way for sponsors to create sports stars based
\non public adulation.<\/p>\n
Let us hope we will continue to appreciate our athletes as the
\ndevelopment of our sports depends on their achievements.<\/p>\n
WIMAR WITOELAR<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/give-praise-where-its-due-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }