Indonesia must learn from China, Soeharto says<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto is asking the national sports
\ncircle to learn from China on how the country of 1.2 billion
\npeople cultivates its talents to reach world sports supremacy.<\/p>\n
Soeharto said upon receiving Minister of Youth Affairs and
\nSports Hayono Isman at the State Palace yesterday that China is
\nsuch an outstanding example of a successful sporting country that
\nIndonesia can adopt its training techniques.<\/p>\n
China stretched its reign over the Asian Games recently with a
\nhaul of 137 gold medals, 92 silvers and 60 bronzes, leaving the
\nrest of Asia in the dust. Indonesia's 139-strong team slipped to
\n11th place with a paltry collection of three golds, 12 silvers
\nand 11 bronzes, the worst outcome since 1962.<\/p>\n
\"Anyway, the national squad did not fail. Their performances
\nwere simply not what we had expected,\" Soeharto said.<\/p>\n
Hayono will lead a delegation which includes top officials of
\nthe national sports governing body (KONI) and several sports
\norganizations to China for a five-day visit starting Nov. 1.<\/p>\n
Apart from several trips to China's centers for sports
\nresearch and development, Hayono will sign a Memorandum of
\nUnderstanding with his counterpart for cooperation in sports
\ndevelopment between the two countries.<\/p>\n
\"We especially want to learn how Chinese wonder potions are
\nmade to enhance the performances of their sportsmen and women,\"
\nsaid Hayono.<\/p>\n
Hayono quoted Soeharto as saying that in the near future
\nnational sports prime movers should think about giving special
\ntreatment to sports which have realistic prospects on the
\ninternational level, such as badminton and archery.<\/p>\n
Soeharto also reminded that such measures are urgent as the
\n14th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games are coming soon. \"Don't be
\ncareless about host Thailand's preparations for the Games. We
\ndon't want to be number two,\" Soeharto implored.<\/p>\n
Thailand will play host to the regional sports event in Chiang
\nMai next December in preparation for the 13th Asiad in 1998. The
\nnational squad finished second overall for the first time ever in
\nthe 1985 SEA Games in Bangkok behind the host team.<\/p>\n
KOI<\/p>\n
Hayono also reiterated yesterday the necessity of establishing
\nthe Indonesian Olympics Committee (KOI) as a separate body from
\nKONI because the principal sports body has too many sports under
\nits auspices.<\/p>\n
KONI presently handles not only official Olympic sports such
\nas track and field, swimming and tennis but also recreational
\nsports such as mountaineering, scuba diving, jogging, fun bikes
\nand even marching band.<\/p>\n
KONI's chairman Surono, in response to Hayono's remarks, told
\nreporters on Monday that the establishment of KOI was not
\nnecessary and that, while the government reserved the right to
\nstep in KONI's affairs, it was not supposed to intervene in the
\nestablishment of KOI.<\/p>\n
Hayono said yesterday that Surono was right but underlined
\nthat KOI's function should, at any rate, be revived.<\/p>\n
KOI is inherent in KONI since the latter's establishment in
\n1966, Hayono said, \"but I think its existence should be made more
\nclearly felt by placing it beneath KONI structurally. As a
\nconsequence, there should, of course, be someone to chair KOI.\"<\/p>\n
\"KOI will also provide exact, correct information on sports
\nassociations which it governs and thus, help improve its clogged
\ncommunications with those associations,\" Hayono added.<\/p>\n
The lack of communication between KONI and the sports bodies
\nit governs earlier came under strong criticism by Mangombar
\nFerdinand Siregar, KONI's former secretary general.<\/p>\n
Siregar said KONI's high ranking officials very often did not
\nknow what happened in the sports bodies and tended to believe
\neverything the associations reported to them without checking it
\nfirst themselves. (arf\/amd)<\/p>",
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